FUNDAMENTAL SCHEME ADOPTED.

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 100, 30 April 1945, Page 6

FUNDAMENTAL SCHEME ADOPTED.

By now, Mr. Mason stated, there seemed to be among educationists such widespread agreement on the general principles of the report, despite a few differences on, detailed points, that he had had no hesitation in adopting the fundamental scheme recommended by the Consultative Committee and embodying it in draft regulations.

Those regulations followed the report of the committee by providing for a "common core" of English, elementary mathematics, general science, social studies, physical education, music, art, and crafts, which all pupils would take, but which would be examined by the school itself. The committee's scheme had been modified, however, by permitting organised games to take up some of the time allotted to physical education, and by permitting schools which were not yet ready to meet the demands in music, art, and crafts to substitute for them an extra optional subject for the external examination. Candidates for the school certificate, besides taking the subjects of the common core, would present themselves for an external examination in English and three other subjects. These optional subjects were the ones set out in the committee's report, and were such as to allow a wide range of choice for children with different interests and abilities, practical as well as academic. The, Minister said he could not in a newspaper statement enumerate all the modifications that had been made in the committee's recommendations for detailed subject prescriptions for both common core and options. The changes were such, however, as to meet most of the criticisms received from responsible individuals and groups. Although He felt that the fullest opportunity had already been given for criticism and discussion, Mr-. Mason said that, rather than .appear to be rushing matters, he had had copies of the draft regulations sent to the teachers' organisations and to other professional education bodies likely to be interested' in the details of syllabuses. He proposed to wait for at least a month before proceeding further with the regulations. After that he would have them gazetted as soon as possible so that they could come into operation at the beginning of 1946.

He was convinced that they represented one of the most important and beneficial changes ever introduced into secondary education in New Zealand.