EDUCATION'S PROGRESS

Evening Star, Issue 19273, 11 June 1926, Page 3

EDUCATION'S PROGRESS

THE BRISBANE CONFERENCE RESULTS OF IMMENSE VALUE Benefits of immense mine to the New Zealand Education Department, are expected to be derived from the recent conference .of State Directors of Education, held at Brisbane, according to the observations _ made after his arrival at Wellington this week by Mr .1. Caughley, Director of Education, who represented New Zealand at the conference. One activity in particular, the question of hotter articulation between the primary and secondary courses of instruction, was mentioned as likely to participate in the benefits. Mr Caughley informed a ‘ Dominion ’ reporter that 'the direct purpose of his visit to Australia was to attend the conference at Brisbane of the Directors of Education of all the States in Australia and of New Zealand. A wide range of topics was discussed, the conference extending over about a iqrtnight, and the results would bo ol immonso value to everybody concerned, A number of problems arising in each State were more or loss common to all, and those attending the gathering had the advantage of seeing the different angles from which they were approached and the solutions which were being applied in the different circumstances ol each State, lu many cases the present policy; was. guided necessarily by the. previous bistort of education in the State. In \ ictoria and New South 'Wales to a very large extent secondary education was in the hands of private institutions, the Government's entrance into that field being on late development. In New Zealand, on the other hand, the very rfeverse was the case, “ Another striking difference.” added Mr Caughley, “is the fact that in Australia all administration of education is centralised in a head office. There is no equivalent to our education hoards, high school hoards, or technical school boards, and only to a very small extent is there an equivalent to our school committees.” Reverting to the conference, Mr Caughley said that, although the circumstances were so widely different, a great many valuable suggestions to every State arose through the delegates seeing the general principles upon which each State was acting and tho particular method by which, they

met the conditions of fhe day and of the Slate. “As far ns New Zealand is concerned,” said the Director, “ I am quite satisfied that the visit will be of immense value to the department. As was said hr a. speaker at the Kotary Club luncheon to-day, ‘ Life is too short to endeavor to solve problems through one’s own experience alone.’ My attendance, at this conference gave me the benefit of the experience of six other States under a wide variety of conditions. The visit will be particularly valuable in connection with the question of the better articulation of the primary and secondary courses of instruction. AA’e have tentatively approached this problem through the junior high school system; hut its wider and more general application presents very many problems on which the experience of the States of Australia throw a good deal of light, although we cannot always adopt their methods.” Air Cnnghlcy said that lie was impressed with the generosity and hospitality of all the Australians with whom ho came in contact, particularly those in Queensland and New South Wales. He was treated not only ns an educational official, but as a New Zealander, and right throughout Australia there seemed to exist ‘he nest cordial relations by the Common wmlth for the dominion. At the conclusion of the conference Mr Canghloy spent ten days in New South ’Wales, going into matters of administration with too Director of Education there, and visited a considerable number of post-p - unary institutions of various and somewhat noval types. With regard to matters of detail and policy, Mr Canghley intimated il affiles* would be tbe subject of a report which would ho laid before the Minister of Education at an early date.