EDUCATION COSTS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 124, 21 November 1931, Page 15

EDUCATION COSTS

LABOUR CANDIDATE'S

COMMENTS

Strong disapproval of Ilin MirUilmcut by the Government of the education "system was expressed by ihc Labour candidate for llutt, Mi. Walter Nash, at his meeting at Eastbourne last uight. Ho first attacked the Governments action in closing the Grade 0 schools — baokblock schools with eight or nine children and one teaclier. By closing school's the Government was debarring the children from the benefits of the education which was due to them and was adding more teachers to tiio GOO already unemployed in the Dominion. Ho proceeded to criticise adversely the stiffening of the proficiency and free-place examinations so as to limit the number of free places in the secondary schools. Ho knew of one school where only four children out of eighteen passed the examination, and of a headmaster who, having- seen the papers to be given the children of his school, was doubtful whether any would pass. Mr. Nash was satisfied that few children would be able to get over the hurdles set them in this year's examination papers.

The average idea of education possessed by persons in legislative and governmental positions was that its one purpose was to enable the boy or girl to earn a livelihood. That was a very limited conception of the true purpose of education, which was, Mr. Nash said, to develop personality so that the boy or girl should get all that was worth while out of life. The country lost almost by millions of pounds when the education system was stultified and the children were not given the treatment they deserved.-