SCHOOLS OF TO-DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 141, 18 June 1927, Page 6

SCHOOLS OF TO-DAY

PROGRESS & PROSPECTS

INSTITUTE PRESIDENT'S

REVIEW

DIPEOVED TEACHING

STANDARDS

In. a statement to a"Post" reporter, the new President of the New Zealand Educational Institute (Mr. F. L. Combs, M.A.) made an interesting review of the present conditions of education, the progress of recent years, and the lines upon which future development should proceed;.

Perhaps thq best feature of recent improvements, said Mr. Combs, is the marked improvement in. thp quality of entrants to the profession. The response to improved inducements in the way of pay and prospects has-brought forward a type of probationer and studentteacher distinctly good, and in many cases' the best that could possibly be expected under the 'conditions offered. These young people. before 21 nearly all reached the cultural level equivalent to.the Arts Diploma. Such a level is indispensable to what is the educated profession. Even better, than this, increasing competition among appointees (three for every allows of the selection of those whose personality fits them for their' difficult' work and who are adapted in point of aptitude and physique to its performance. Such a type of entrant augurs well for the transformation of. educational, development to a wider and higher range of social usefulness.- Fortunately I this transformation is so urishakably' 1 pressed upon tfie system by general social influences that' it ■ cannot • be avoided and must be consummated. On tlio personnel of the teaching profession, .its members its quality, the snecess-of this, transformation' almost wholly, depends. As things .are .going one is entitled to be optimistic of the future.. • ■■ -• . ■ . :■ .- ... ■ ■ i CREDIT TO SIB JAMfigPAiRB. In the "sphere of general politics teachers are variously aligned, but most would agree that the'administration of Sir James Parr .'marked-, such 'an ■ advance as to create almost an epoch. In addition to theVgfeat deal that was accomplished in tho: constructive way,' something perhaps .better was . also brought into being... It ,was the defi-nitely-raised .standard of, method, and accomplishment for the schools. .This standard now" was widely accepted by: educational authorities, by the general public, and by the parents as a sound foundation for the' of a system consonant with the' prime importance of .education as a', department of State .activity. .: -. ...-.',. ' . . '

• Perhaps recent improvements : can best be summed up tader'two heads— discipline and instruction. DISCIPLINE.

What change has taken place under this heading? Classes have, as the'j Hon. E. A. Wright \claims, been reduced, but are ■ still too large. The handling, of masses inevitably necessitates regimentation. There is reason to doubt.whether order is heaven's first law-Kino would incline to think' that heaven is ruled by harmony, but in the schools the need of order, subordination^ and. a measure of regimentation will always be a : prominent requirement till the; classes are brought down to the scientific maximum -which is also the scientific minimuni. .. Still,' this bej-ng admitted, the spirit .of control in the, schools.is a great^ deai-.bettet than military,-the ■■mutual "attitude of pupilsparent, and teactar-'ljias changed: fromone involving a: good-deal-"of opposition and. hostility- to one of co-operation. The- school throughput' its "activities is dynamised' to-day by a spirit of social goodwill. The reduction' in- class numbers already noted. Jias' something' to do with this-e-it has..led to a. more, liberalised .technique, arid" control, giving more free play to the individual, but the change,_ in mjr 'dpiriionj is mainly, due to the improvement, speaking, generally; is tiie personnel of *he teacher and to his: deeper,. mdre sympathetic insight into the Child psychology. Coercive methods are fast sinking into the background, and it .has, become a. cardinal maxim of teaching practice'for tho teacher to gefr'the child-with. him. Once classes are:at the maxiniunvminimuni already mentioned, something like, a revolution in the direction of afree human' atmbsphero will have been worked in the school'as compared tol that of a generation.. ago.' .' '.-.*'■■ SUBJECTS Oi* XKisTBTTOTION. AVhothcr improvement has takenplaco under thia second heading of subjects of instruction or not .is a matter of debate. The pOint which, in my opinion, should be debated is whether tho instruction..is adapted to the needs of the individual child and the community which will later oh demand suit and service of him.- li< my opinion there is no. room for doijjit that as regards both quality and quantity the instruction is immeasurably better 'than it was.twenty or thirty.yoars ago. More is done;-it is aoaS.-;.better from the standpoint of a sioro skilled and scientific techniquo-Mt is done by teachers moro widely and well-informed and more enthusiastic for thai developmental'achievement without which instruction is onlv'a drudgery, a'cram, and a routine, and/ being these, .three, a'dotTiment to rather than, an agent of progress^ ' ,',:- ':".".' SPECIALIST TEAOHEES.

One more encouraging feature should receivo special mention—-it is the number of teachers specialising along the' lines of their own particular aptitude— music, science,' r6r some social subject,' and raising themselves to the highest attainable pitch of professional officioncy there. We have to-day quite a number of teacher-musicians, teacherscientists, teacher-students, of literature, and the social subjects whose opinion would bo respected in even the most expert and specialised circlos. On the other hand, what corresponds to podagogical illiteracy, teachers' without a, certificate, will, in a'year or two, have entirely disappeared. So much admitted in the xray r ot a general, very encouraging, view of. the outlook, thoro is need to strces tl\o cardinal importance* among other reforms,-of a reduction of classes (tho institute 'a -present fig -to is 30), a reduction which will make such a qualitative dllToronco in tho selection of subject matter and tho method of imparting it as to cro'ato an opoch in educational history. With classes of 40, 50, 60, arid ovon 70 as' existing at present indiv{dualisatiou, in any real sense of tho word, is impossible. '-..-■

EXPENDItUBE. One cannot leave the subject of education without referring to oxponditure. Any candid and complete inquiry into this aspect will bring tho inevitable admission that.expenditure is still very small. In round numbers it coats' the Dominion noarly £ 4,000,000 annum for the. education of some 250,000 students" of all ages. A good deal of this amount is spent in retrieving arrears (buildings, playground, eto.), which niiist be debited riot to the prcsoiit but to a neglectful past. But eveii £4,----000,OOQ is a very modest—too modest— educational budget. Tho total sum speiifc on abasements,' relaxations, and pleasure in this Dominion must be Very nearly: £40,000,000. It is hot denied that much, of this entertainment outgo is recouped in benefits to all ooneern-

cl —even what is commonly called "mere pleasure" ia by no nicnnß without positivo advantage to its participants. The tendoucy of twentieth-cen-tury communitied'to Idad'ft happier, fuller life inofo'-. in keeping with the impulses and aspirations nativo to the flesh and spirit is all to, tho good. But when this expenditure ir compared with that on education, when it ia realised that thq rising generation arc confined to school during tho most effective' developmental period of their waking day, it cannot be denied that £4,000,000, with the limited amount of material it can buy and tho limited number of persons it can employ, is inadequate to the greatest of nil institutional tasks—that of bringing the rising generation in mind, morals, and body abreast of the very exhaustive requirements of modern life. Perhaps in this connection it is well to dispose of ono_ fallacy still entertained by a dwindling minority that teachers are too well off; In rejoinder to this it should bo pointed out that, the cultural standard of teachers is fast approaching that of the medical, .legal, and other learned . profession %'■ — that most of the. teacher's so-called leisure is happily .and busily occupied in raising himself to this profesional standard. In addition, figures will show that teachers still are under, rather than over ■ remunerated. The head t sachers of our largest schools/ the statistical index figure, being taken into account, .are receiving; at least onefifth less than was the case thirty years ago. A remedy should be found for this. That a gentleman whose responsibilities in a cit3 r are ' equivalent to those of its prominent business, industrial and professional people, should be receiving from one-half to one-third of the amount that these do, is not economics, and that being bo it is not sound (i.e. efficient) administration. In such business circles the view is unanimous that the ultimate goal of every successful teacher should be made a deal more attractive.

'GOQbWHtti'Td THE SCHOOL. In conclusion/-1 would, like to say this^ —Although the.- teaching profession is confident of a very ■widely-spread and active goodwill toward the schools, itis always the case that advantages, gained must be. conserved. The profession appeals to .^parents and. publicspirited citizens, to see that ■whatever is done at the present juncture, nothing is permitted which is likely to'prejudice the attractiveness and successful working of the schools.' Teachers do not .claim that parents are primarily concerned with justice, to, themselves. Through their own corporate organisation, the Institute, they -are expected, (Juite Tightly, to safeguard their own equitable rights as 'a eection of the public service. All the community as a whole .is asked to do is to see that there is no lowering of the standard of child well-being, intellectual and physical. This standard is too vital to society and the nation, for public opinion' to permit it to be in the slightest degree lowered; Current tendencies as indicated in opinions expressed in the press particularly should therefore be vigilantly scrutinißed, and the welfare of schools immediately and jealously safeguarded; . The duty of the school is to see that its inmates have,life and have it more abundantly. Not nntii the most is made of the. school and individual development of the. pupil, can W e feel that the school has made the most of the great national, asset entrusted to it.- ■ ■•;r • .. ■ ■ '-.'..