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Evening Star, Issue 17543, 24 December 1920, Page 6

BETTER JUNKET—IT'S FLAVORED ! "When you "don't know what to make" TLITS JUNKO CRYSTALS. Sixpenny packet _-makes two quarts—sufficient for four family desserts. Eve flavors.- Ask at your grocer's to-day. Distributing agents: Bradfield, MTherson, Dunedin.—[Advt.i NOT STICKY OR GREASY.

Onh of the most difficTdt problems to. be

■ . ', ■ ' solved by the State Education In i a how to provide a Country Districts, satisfactory and suit--,„v ' able education for children in sparsely-populated and out-of-the-way conntry" districts. For the past twenty-five year*, at least, .{his problem has-been discnssed by the New Zealand ideational Institute at its annual conferences and at meetings of branch institutes, lb the columns of its official organ, m the newspaper Press <rf 'the Dominion. We ourselves have, on more than one occasion, dealt with the question Of consolidated country schools." The Education Commission of 1912, after showing what had been done in other countries and setting out the advantages of this reform, stated* that "if is evident that the experiment might be tried with every prospect of success in a considerable number of cases throughout the Dominion, and it is strongly recommended that an attempt at consolidation should.be made fortawithr' This recommendation was made about nine years ago , an d yet nothing has been done.tV give effect to f ' _ The question might well be asked : " Who is to be blamed for this lack of enterprise. ' In our opinion the cause of the unnecessary multiplicity of small schools and the placing of obstacles in the way of consolidating these schools can be clearly traced to the method of electing members of education boards.. ' These members owe their positions to the votes of school committees. A small group of people in a certain corner of an education district ask that- a school should be established. The inspector, who, until recently, was a servant of the board, is asked to report He may or may not recommend that a school be built. It matters little, for tne influence of the member of the board Oho m also often M.P. ior the district, and is on the lookout for votes) overcomes -all opposition. It has also not infrequently happened that an influential landholder who wishes to cut up a large estate has managed to secure the establishment of a school, and so enhance the value of his property. Up to the present the Education Department has been practically powerless to prevent the establishment of unnecessary small schools, and even now has not the power to consolidate schools where it is possible and desirable. We are well aware that, owing to bad roads or no roads at all, in many newlysettled backblocks districts consolidation is impossible. All that can be done -is to increase the Government capitation to 'household" schools and to employ itinerent teachers wherever possible. This the Education Department has done. Since 1901, when the Education Commission of that year secured the "colonial scale of salaries" for teachers, the capitation grant to household schools having an average attendance under eight has been increased from £3 10s to £ls, this latter provision being the most liberal in anv part of the world. Still, while wa admit the impossibility of consolidation in these backblock settlements, we know there are scores of places on the main and branch railway lines between the Bluff and Auckland, and in other districts where the roads are good, where this reform oould be successfully carried out. It is a hopeful sign when we find such organisations as the Canterbury Progress League taking the matter up. There is, in our opinion, no better district, especially in the southern part, in which to try the experiment. But, as we. have already pointed out, school committees and education boards, as at present constituted and elected, block the road to reform; and these obstacles can only be overcomeby showing the people the enormous ad-* vantages to them and their children that may be secured by consolidating schools. Here are some of the advantages claimed by advocates of the system of conveyance of children to consolidated schools:—(1) Attendance is more punctual, and regular. (2) The general health of the children is better. They are not exposed to stormy weather, and they avoid sitting in damp clothing. (3) The schools are more up to date, with better lighting, heating, and ventilation. They are more fully equipped with appliances of all kinds. (4) Fewer, more efficient, and more highly-paid teachers are employed. The bringing of teachers-together in a community fosters professional zeal. (5) ' Teaching can be specialised—.domestic science, agriculture, dairying, wool r classing, fruit - growing, poultry-rearing, bee-keeping, and even fishing might all receive due attention. (6) The. children are benefited by a widened circle of acquaintance and the culture resulting therefrom. (7) The whole community is drawn together. (8) The conveyances used for children in the day time may be used in the evenings to transport their parents to public' gatherings—concerts, lectures, workers' educa-tional-courses, etc. The advantages of city lite are thus brought to the country. (9) By consolidation and transportation the farm would become, as it should be", the ideal'place in which to bring up children. (10) Country children would not bo lured to the cities, while many oi the best of the boys and girls of the cities would be attracted towards rural life. We are firmly convinced that, if New Zealand is to hold ite place among the producing countries of the world, everything possible must be done to make country life attractive, and this can best be done by providing the children of our farmers, in their own districts, with an adequate cultural and vocational education. Our Canterbury friends are to be congratulated upon the taking up of this interesting educational reform. The outcome of-their efforts will, we trust, result in .a real awakening of the fanning community to the best educational interests of their children and the industrial welfare of New Zealand.