EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OTAGO.

Evening Star, Issue 7650, 28 June 1888, Page 3

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OTAGO.

The Institute resumed their sittings this morning. UNIFORMITY 1 OF TEXT-BOOKS.

Messrs J. W. Jago, J. White, and Cohen attended as a deputation from the Dunedin and Suburban Schools Conference.

Mr Jago, as chairman of the Executive of j the Conference, said that he, with the other gentlemen accompanying him, attended the Institute as a deputation from the Dunedin and Suburban Schools Conference to call the attention of the ladies and gentlemen present to that which was felt by very many of the parents of the scholars attending the Bchools as a great grievance. It was not necessary that he should detain them by any lengthened statement, as the attention of the school teachers had been already drawn to the matter by a circular letter issued from the Education Board under date October 21, What was desired by the Schools Conference was should be something like uniformity in the text-books used throughout the provincial district, but especially throughout Dunedin and suburbs, and that these should not be altered with so much frequency. It was felt as a great hardship by many parents who had a number of childen at school, that when these passed from one standard to another the text-books of the older were not available for the younger children. It was equally objectionable that when parents removed from one part of the city to another, and the children had to change their schools, a number of new books had to be got. The booksellers also complained of this matter; and it was a fact that at the present time there were on the shelves of booksellers in town many pounds' worth of books utterly valueless. The Schools Conference had interviewed the inspectors and the officers of the Education Board on the subject, and they said that the matter was in the hands of the teachers. Therefore it was that the deputation waa appointed to bring the

question before the Institute, comprising as it did so many of those interested in the subject. It was the wish of the Schools Conference that those who had the practical knowledge of the subject should recommend such series of text books as would be best suited to the purposes, that these should be used in all of the public schools, and that no material change should be made in these text books within a period of three years. In mentioning the piriod within which no change should be made, he was expressing his own idea. No term had been named by the School tConference; but from what he knew of the views of the members of the Conference he thought three years would be satisfactory. He knew this subject of text books was a serious and perhaps difficult one, but it was one which must be dealt with, even though the Committees should have to put their foot down and say such diversity of books should not be used, nor so frequent changes made. The Conference recognised the rights of tho teachers to be considered in the matter, and had full confidence that the Institute would give the subject he had brought before them the consideration its importance deserved. Tho Chairman said that the members of the Institute admitted that there was much force iu what Mr Jago urged. But forthe prevailing depression the parents might have borne the charges for books, but in | these depressed times it was undoubtedly a hardship for them to have to supply books frequently. He had himself been told of a father who had declared that he hoped his own child would not succeed in passing his Standard this year, as ho could not afford to furnish him with the set of new books that he would then require. The matter of uniformity of school books was, however, one of considerable difficulty. The inspectors blamed the teachers, the teachers blamed the inspectors, and the booksellers blamed both teachers and inspectors for the frequency of the changes.— (Laughter.) This matter had seriously engaged the attention of the Institute for some time. Four years ago they had drawn up a list of books, which they asked the Board to adopt, but the Board's inspectors had altered the list, and nothing more was heard of it. The complaint was not confined to Otago, and from the circular lately issued by the Minister of Education it would be seen that it was general throughout the colony. Whilst they as teachers sympathised with it, and were prepared to assist in removing it, it must be apparent that they, as educationists, could not afford to stand still; they must progress with the times, and be prepared to accept the best books they could obtain. At this meeting the Institute had appointed a Committee, presided over by one of the patriarchs of the Institute (Mr Milne), who had been deliberating during the past two days, but who had postponed reporting till they heard the views of the Conference's delegates. When that Committee reported he trusted that their conclusions would commend themselves to the Board, and that the Conference would be able to urge their adoption. The teachers watched with the greatest interest the proceedings of the Conference, as being composed of a number of gentlemen of zeal and intelligence who were aiding in the administration of our primary system of education. [The rest of oar report is held over.]