EDUCATION

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 146, 21 June 1924, Page 9

EDUCATION

NEW ZEALAND'S PROGRESS

SATISFACTION OF THE

MINISTER

STILL NEED FOR SOME REFORMS.

Satisfaction with the progress that has been made in New Zealand in recent years in matters educational was expressed by the Minister 'of Education (Hon. C. J. Parr) in addressing the meeting of the Council of Education yester-' day. The Minister reviewed several forward steps that had been taken, and also pointed out that there . were directions in which improvements could be effected.

The Minister said he had heard with some relief that the motion that thu council should cease to exist had been defeated, and he congratulated members on the decision that had been reached. He liad often thought that educational bodies in New Zealand gave too much thought for matters of administrative importance and administrative policy. The time they spent on such matters could well be. spent, he thought, in looking into what was going on inside the schools. Were they getting the best results'/ if they made a retrospect of the last twenty or thirty years it. would be found that a very considerable advance had been made in education in New Zealand. He was sure that the teachers were more intelligent than they were, the teaching was more intelligent, and the product of the school was a more intelligent, resourceful young person than the product of twenty or thirty years ago. Undoubtedly, the product of to-day lacked a mass oE "fact" inyjrniation that was so successfully crammed into the young people of twenty or thirty years ago.' They did not know so much about capes and mountains and about the dynasties that ruled, in England years ago, but lie thought they knew more about the things around them and what was going on in the world. Ho thought the present product Went out into tho would •with a much bettor outlook in life. There was also almost a passion for post-primary or "secondary education. The average New Zealand parent was no longer satisfied with a sixth standard certificate. . That was as it should be. There was a general desiro in the community. foi\ more and better education. • The teacher, to-day had '.more freedom,' and the child had more freedom. The leacher could devise ' his or her own scheme of work, and under' the sympathetic supervision •oE the .inspectors could do work of an experimental description. That had" not been' the : case twenty or thirty years'.ago. • . THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY. They would be foolish, however, if they did not recognise that in the course of the'progress that had been made there were possible weaknesses here and there: He had been pleased to hear from his inspectors that there, had been an improvement in arithmetic in the last, few years. A few years ago practically no attention was paid to the subject of history, and- it was not until quite recently that the Department recognised .the..importance of history'in the primary and' -secondary■-^schools.-, -.Re-., cently they had taken steps in tho right direction, and history was now compulsory for the proficiency certificate, although the examination was only an oral one. They wanted to lift up history, and he' might ask members of the council to appoint a commission to go : thoroughly into the question of history. The opinion of experts as to tho best text books would also probably ! c sought. If history was studied by the students at ;tho. training colleges and in the universities ho beliovcd they would secure results. Some peoplo said that a knowledge of history could not be expected, in*, tho primary schools, but with that ho did not agree. Children between 12 and 13 years showed a keen interest in history. FELL SHADOW OF MATRICULATION. In regard to secondary schools, he thought they had no reason to be ashamed —and he was very proud—of the secondary -schools. He considered that they compared favourably with secondary schools of any of the Dominions. 'Unfortunately, though, the work of the secondary" schools had not the freedom' ■winch characterised the' work of tho primary schools. The fell shadow of the matriculation was' hanging over the ■work of the secondary -schools. How many boys and girls were going to the Universities? .One in ten?. He did not think any more than that. Ninety per cent, at least of the children who went through the high schools were not going to the University. Was it proper, that they should submit to thedominaucy of the external examination of the University, and allow that examination to colour the whole scheme of secondary education? Obviously there could only be one answer to the question. The examination as a suitable preparation ior the work .at the University. One could- not .blame the University, for that, but he thought they would be to blame if they allowed matriculation io loom so large.. More importance should bo given tq their own certifi- ! eates. The public did not regard tho | Department's leaving certificates as of equal value to the matriculation, and children-who had not passed their, ma-, tiiculatiou examination were sometimes regarded by the public as uot having made the most of their secondary education. It was their duty to sco that leav-. ing certificates wore given a much higher commercial value and a much higher value in the public esteem than they had at present. It might even be necessary to do that by legislation. ' EVIL OF LARGE CLASSES. There was one evil in regard to primaiy schools that needed remedy, said the Minister, and that was large classes. That evil existed in New Zealand, and ;t existed all over the world. It could he fairly claimed that there had been e-.y.nc improvement in recent years, and it, was now very rare to find classes of over 100 pupils. Thero were a good Ju.aiy, however, with over sixty pupils. With such classes it was impossible' that pupils could receive individual attcnt.on. At-present the Chief Inspector ■was going into the question of overcrowding in schools in various parts of the Dominion, and lie would report to the Department us to methods for overcoming the difficulty. Large classes v.ere not: due''to' a lack of teachers, 'iliere were being turned out annually ■between 600 and 700 teachers, as compared witlr-a little over 100 before tho v-'ir. _ There were at present 1267 stiul.onts.jn tho Training College*, as compared with 397 in 1913. "lie thought that large .classes wo.ro in some measure <iue to lack of organisation, and it might be necessary for the Department to spend some money on effecting improvements in the schools. He did not think Mint, tho'- Government would bu■■rudgo spudding that money. ' Turning to: th'n question of school aue. lliu Minister said thai, in 3.920 .iWiylacnL had given him authority, by Or-

der-in-Oouncil, to raise the school age from 14 to 15 years of age, but so far he had not found it necessary to do that, a* figures showed that the large majority attended school voluntarily until they were fifteen. There were 23,700 boys and girls in New Zealand between a™ 5 years' and of that number ±a,UOO were attending school. That fact, he though, was a tribute to the public opinion of the Dominion and U> the schools of the Dominion. Tho Minister concluded his remarks by referring to the success which had attended junior high schools. J