TEACHING SERVICE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 60, 12 March 1934, Page 6

TEACHING SERVICE

'What does the community receive back in service for the education it gives to its children and people; and, in particular, what does the community receive back .from* those competitively selected young people who have received money and special privileges in the shape of scholarships, bur: sarie's, exhibitions, etc. ? That question is raised by a correspondent of a Sydney paper, and is echoed by the contributor of an article in this issue, who contrasts the State policy of subsidising the forward pupil with the State policy of offering free places in secondary schools to the primary school children generally. The contributor evidently anticipates that ;in New Zealand, as in New South Wales, there is no \ sufficient record of the performances of individuals to indicate to, what extent the! scholarship-holder or exhibitioner, has repaid in community service' what was spent on his education. Even if that be so, it becomes a matter of con-, sideration whether,' even at this late hour, a system should be ; established of compiling data of individual-per-formances, whereby the results of special educational advantage (whether paid for by the State or not) should be tested in terms of public service. But public service is obviously wider than mere Parliamentary service. It .is also wider than the country where the education is given. For we well know that many of our best New Zealand brains function in high posts abroad. And New Zealand in turn has been built up educationally and otherwise with the help of many sterling men from oversea.