Primary Education

Evening Star, Issue 8771, 11 March 1892, Page 2

Primary Education

TBE SEVENTH STANDARD.

The 'Southland Times' reports:—The tubject of the Seventh Standard in primary schools caTie before t'ae High Schools Board on Monday evening, consequent on a olause in the head-master's report to the effect that in some of the primary sohools a Seventh Standard had been established, and that pupils were nrepared for the Senior Civil Service examination. This instruction, he pointed out, was beyond the requirements of the primary school syllabus, and enoroaohed on the work of secondary sohools, The chairman (Mr Lumßden) said it seemed to him that the Minister of Education encouraged such work in the primary rchools. —Mr Matheson remarked that there was no use for high schools if this work were undertaken by the primary schools. —Mr Carswell was of opinion that after education reached a certain standard in the primary schools the parents of pnpili should be made to pay.— Mr Lumsden said they did pay after passing the Sixth Standard. The sixth was the highest standard required by the regulation?, and covered a complete training, but a seventh was recognised. He considered it objectionable, because a head teacher de voted his time mainly to that one olass when he should be giving his attention to some of the lower divisions.—Mr Carswell said that that was preoisely his view.—Mr Bain said that a Seventh Standard was recognised in the regulations, and that faot could not be altered. There was provision for the teacher charging a fee, but the Education Board derived no revenue from suoh a source.—Mr Carswell remarked that not one teacher in ten in the public .schools was qualified to give the instruction required for the Senior Civil Service examination. —Mr M'Nab said that all the teaohers of the highest classification were encaged in oountiy schools, none in the town schools holding the rank of A or B. In Dunedin the Seventh Standard in the primary sohools was regarded as a feeder to the high schools. Mr Mehaffey, headmsster of the Central Public School, had assured him that not a pupil in the Seventh Standard was in a position to go to the High School without getting a scholarship—that, in faot, was the object of many of the pupils in continuing their studies. There were twenty-seven in the Seventh Standard at the Central School at the beginning of the year, and of this number several would be drafted off into offices. If there were no Seventh Standard they would simply have to leave school and wait till some opening offered—they would not benefit the High School.—On the motion gf Mr gain, it was resolved to inform Mr Heighton that the Board did not consider that it was within their province to take any action with regard to pupils in the Seventh Standard in primary sohools.