OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM

Evening Star, Issue 20538, 17 July 1930, Page 2

OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM

SELECT COMMITTEE'S REPORT FURTHER EXPERT VIEWS t (Special to the ‘Stah.’] CHRISTCHURCH, July 16. “ For years the Education Department has wanted the power to appoint all the teachers. The special report on education submitted to Parliament proposes to give it that authority. The report is the final kick at local control. It is proposed to take the last vestige of power from the local authorities. The tali: in the report against centralisation is mere eyewash.” In these words a man who takes an antir* interest in education matters criticised the Select Committee's ieport. . Mr G J- Lancaster, headmaster of the Christchurch Boys’ High School, who was seen by. a reporter, said he favoured the ceasing of primary education at eleven,years, and the raising of the leaving age to fifteen. He also favoured the proposal to cut out scholarships. So far as an agricultural bias in education was concerned, he favoured this in the case of at _least two-thirds of the schools. He did nob think-it should be done in some or the big schools in the cities. “ I think the ceasing of primary education at eleven and the making of post-primary education compulsory up to fifteen years has got to come,” said. Dr D. E. Hr.nnsn, director of the Christchurch Terhmcal College. “ The idea has the general approval of educationists. The adoption of the reepmmendation may be held up for a time because of the financial stringency, but such adoption ia inevitable sooner or later.” . Regarding the recommendation to discontinue national and university scholarships as a means of providing free education beyond_ the primary stage and the substitution of maintenance bursaries to assist deserving pupils to continue their education to tho higher stages, Dr Hansen said that while in some cases scholarships had been given to children whose parents could have afforded to pay for the education provided, in the majority of eases the scholarships were justified. The parents in the towns and cities had to keen their children, and some allowance while they were at school was offce.t necessary. Tho recommendation regarding maintenance bursaries would be applied mainly to country children to the disadvantage of the parents in the cities and towns “ As for the recommendations for an agricultural bias in education thoro :s not very much need for those under the present policy,” said Dr Hansen. “We are not finding it very much oasicr on the agricultural side. Under the rather hard conditions the Minister of Education has laid down we find it more difficult to get financial assistance oa the agricultural side than for other subjects, such as woodwork, etc. There is nothing really very definite in the scheme. It is suggested in the report that a great many teachers are not qualified to teach agriculture. As a matter of fact a large number of teachers are qualified to teach the subject provided they are given the facilities to do so.”