EDUCATION

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 118, 14 November 1929, Page 10

EDUCATION

SYSTEM CRITICISED / ATTACK ON "CRAMMING" s A CANTERBURY VIEW The Bulletin of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce for November, prepared by the Department of Economics of Canterbury College, eontaius a trenchant attack on the present system of education. The education of the rising generation, it-says, is at all times of vital importance. At the present time and in the present stage r,i New Zealand's development if is more than usually important, for times and manners are changing to an unusual degree, and the problems and potentialities of the near future challenge the highest-trained capacity. Perhaps the best approach to education from the business aspect is to consider the complaints commonly made against the mental equipment of those entering upon business life, and then to investigate the requirements of business and the methods by which educational training may meet those requirements. Two broad lines of complaint may be distinguished, though they may really be' different expressions of one difficulty. In the first place a large number of those entering business seek and. . pursue vocations for which they have neither natural aptitude nor inclination. Their temperamental incompatibility with their jobs breeds discontent and difficulty, both for themselves and those associated with them. This sug.gests that from a certain stage the educational process should be, to some extent, selective. In this respect, a great responsibility devolves upon both parent and teacher. But in regard to selection, present practice operates very imperfectly. Second, those whom education should prepare for a life of which business is a large part come to their work but ill-equipped for the realities they have to meet. Many enter upon business whose mental equipment consists of mere packages of faats, facts unrelated to one another and undigested; they appear to have been subjected to none of that mental discipline which leads the trained mind easily to systematise knowledge. Hence they have little capacity for seeing things whole or tracing the relationship of inter-related parts. They may follow instructions given in detail, but cannot appreciate .the simplest general principles, and apply them to cases where the detail is different. They fail to see why a job is done, what is its relation to what goes before and after, and to the general plan of things, . The _ training they have received is defective as a means of developing not only mental discipline, but also1 character and personality. It results in the habit of diffused rather than concentrated attention, in lack of , application, thoroughness, and the ability to decide and finish things off; it gives knowledge without understanding, and provides superficial facts rather than fundamentals and the methods by which those facts are found and related and applied in real life. Hence *the, mental equipment of those trained- is lacking in depth, in direction, and in significance. There is real truth -in the accusation that much of what passes for education is mere cram; it neither'develops the innate capacities of the pupil nor prepares him for his life's work. In . some cases this results from individual deficiency in particular qualities; in others it is due to the absence of direction into vocations for which individuals are best 'fitted; but much of the weakness probably results fr,om concentration upon the achievement of stereotyped qualifications by those responsible for the training, rather than upon the nature and extent of the training . best fitted for the trainee. "WHAT IS NEEDED. It is, of course, recognised that capacity and aptitude vary almost infinitely both in degree and in direction. But the qualities necessary for the fullest self-development, for busijness success, and for social service are everywhere much the same, and, given equal opportunity, the measure of one's possession of these qualities is roughly the measure of his capacity to serve himself and his fellows. All possess them in some measure, and in almost all people they can be greatly developed by suitable environment and suitable training. Those qualities are summarised in personality, which, may be regarded as character in action. But business requires integrity, balance, judgment, vision, initiative, and determination as fundamental qualities. All these are rational faculties, whose action is largely conditioned by breadth and depth of knowledge, and by moral discipline. Given an adequate background of knowledge coupled with clear reasoning power, most of the rest follow inevitably. For knowledge and reason show that integrity is plainly y the only sound principle in the long run; balance is the expression of judgment which consists in the capacity •to recognise and weigh the various factors bearing on a problem impartially and objectively; vision of the future depends largely on knowledge of the past; initiative and determination, though partly innate, are closely associated with confidence born of sure knowledge. But not all people possess the temperament, the capacity, or the desire to assimilate knowledge to the extent necessary for the highest business leadership, where the kind of knowledge appears more important than the amount. It is probable, too, that the majority of people avoid responsibility and prefer routine work with narrow opportunities and small rewards to the anxiety, risk, and responsibility associated with wider opportunities and greater rewards. Moreover, capacity ■ and aptitude vary widely iv directiou. . Much of our higher education is wasted at present because, being predominantly academic, it is imposed upon pupils for whom it has no appeal.' It is for these reasons that/the educational process should- be selective. At the appropriate stages, giving equal opportun-' ity to all, it should select, guide, and direct individuals into those channels . for which their inborn aptitudes fit them best; later on it should select again the comparatively few best fitted for the highest branches of learning, whether general, professional, or tech- ■ nical. Further, more emphasis should be laid at all stages on the methods and quality of training given, and less on the attainment of a standard qualification in a stereotyped range of subjects. PRESENT SYSTEM CONDEMNED. After a review of recent develop.ments in education, it is maintained .that New Zealand has not kept pace ■with other countries. In its desire to popularise education the State has been generous in providing for free places in the higher schools, and the schools themselves, usually ill-equipped, fimder-staffed, and overcrowded with students, have to put the great majority through courses dominated by the entrance requirements of the University. Thus they are turning out a low quality product by mass production methods. Throughout the secondary stages, in addition to the traditional or academic secondary courses, there is need for differentiation of broad fields of study where pupils may develop the mental equipment neces-

sary to enable them to make the most of their occupations in later life, with tests, guidance, and advice in selecting and directing particular capacities into suitable branches of study. Critical selection and differentiated courses, having a common background of cultural study, are essential if the fullest advantage is to bo secured by the community from the State's offer that, irrespective of means, all who have the ability to profit by higher education shall have the opportunity. _ At the top of the system the University_ stands just as much in need of critical review as the primary and secondary schools. The University Colloges are overcrowded with students, selected by means which are open to much criticism; they are expected to provide a broad cultural education for those likely to become leaders in the community, to keep abreast of advancement of knowledge by undertaking original research from which the community may gain, and to provide training for a wide range of professions. Without'substantial private endowments the constituent colleges have been neglected by the State, and are ill-equip-ped to undertake all these tasks. The teaching aspect of their work bulks so large that little time or thought can be given to research, though research is vital _to higher training and higher teaching. Their attention is so centred on meeting the requirements for professional qualifications of their masses of students that they, too, have to adopt mass production methods to the neglect of real culture and the development of individuality and quality. It is usually forgotten that the highest education is provided by the University, and that the standards of ability in professional circles and amongst leaders in the community must be closely related with the standard set by the Univeristy. POSITION SUMMARISED. A survey of our education system as a whole .suggests that in the effort to make education cheap and popular, much of its value has been sacrificed. It is over-centralised and consequently rigid, mechanised, regimented, and stereotyped; it has lagged behind modern practice and is unsuited to the needs of our country and community. Its basic fault lies in the fact that political control, seeking easy methods and mass results, fails to recognise the infinite variety of the human material and human needs for which it has to provide. It should be recognised that, since .capacities, aptitudes, and temperaments differ so widely, it is eminently undesirable to put all pupils through the same education mill. From the postprimary stage onward, differentiated fields of study should be available more generally, and testing and guidance are necessary to direct differently gifted pupils into appropriate fields. This means the development, rather than the restriction of individual variations, and it is just as necessary in the training of pupils. The teachers themselves need also to secure and maintain the closest contact with the practical realities of life in the communities they serve, for only in this way can they give effective practical and local application to the subjects they teach. Literary and cultural subjects must not be neglected; they provide the background and the basis of much that is best in all education, and school sports need to be fostered for the aid they give to the development of health, leadership, and team work. These are the lines which educational practice is following in more advanced countries. The direction of education along similar lines might not only provide better equipped entrants for industry and commerce in New Zealand; it might also do much to solve troublesome social problems.