EDUCATION PROBLEMS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 11384, 9 December 1930, Page 5

EDUCATION PROBLEMS

IS HIGHER EDUCATION* EVER • A DRAWBACK? v

FURTHER VIEWS OF RO-

i;v TARIANS; „i

Members of .the Rotary Club yes- ■ torday, .continued ■-■their.’.-; interesting; dismission ,;on7 educational! problems, and Jri .particular, the- point- raised by Rotarian- Capon', Racko,:.,,- ‘‘ls higher education ever.- a . drawback ft’’ tmi . ..Rotarian Muir.* whoywas, .chairman frir/thei day," said .thntrit' would -scour • remarkable’ to; him .’if anyone should! regard higher education Vs a draw* hack. Lately, he liad been .privileged to visit Oxford, with* it,s. cloistered ■ oaths; Eton and its famous playing holds, -and Edinburgh University .with its, great. assemblv 'hdll -all of which had been troddeii by many -generations of the most brilliant -sons of-the British race.) That such a. sub* -lccf. as--they were to discus's that-day had arisen was, therefore, most suf-j prising .'to hih\. As sbararigi-to what lengths the American people wero going to attain-lusher-education,-he also mentioned'that ivJien the vessel' hy which he returned to' tlie' Dominion reached Gibraltar it picked up a Pffriyof 250 American students, who left tlier vessel again at Naples, where .it rejoined the remainder - of. that educational exuedition which was equally large. Tlie object of the expedition, which had been promoted by the University of f Boston, was to study Graecian. archaeology. " One loung lady was tlie possessor of . a two years’ travelling scholarship' and when- she returned to her university she . would be required to write a thesis on. "Roman Towers.”. 'Rotarian Stone-ham said that ho was somewhat disappointed on' account of the . subject not having been more vigorously debated. Education cost nobody , anything to carry round aud lie had always, regretted that lie had not had an opportunity to secure a university education. He had however, made a point of seeing to it that. .all.*!iis children received "secondary education. Some of tlio speakers had shown a tendency to : discount-the sy'steui of examinations.' "What should not bo overlooked, however, was that examinations were really very beneficial. In this connection, be stressed, in particular, the ■•benefits which had resulted to music in this Dominion as a result of the annual examinations held by the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity -College of Music. • Music in;this country had, ho said, been' raised to a much higher plane as a result than would otherwise have been tlie case. Competitions festivals also undoubtedly played a great part in developing local talent. Too much credit could not be given to mothers for the interest which they took in enabling their children to receive the best possible education within their means. A good education could never be • a drawback.

. Rotarian lyenway pointed out that as a Rotarian he represented the class which was supposed to need the least in the way of a classical education—the - farming community. Eor all that, it had to be remembered that nothing else apart from a good education could so widen tlie blind and enable one to appreciate what was best in literature, in art, etc.' Examinations were no doubt necessary, even if they did not always adequately test a student’s real ability. Incidentally he mentioned that before ho went up for. a London Uni-. versify examination in Latin, tho tutor of his class'had gone' to great' pains to stress that, apart from the author whose works it had been announced’would forrii' the basis of the examination,' there would' be a -section. from an unknown author and that .if the * students did not tackle it they were suro to bo “plucked.”, As it so happened, noiio’of. them-had touched , that' particular section, but all had passed! (Laughter). Rotarian Dr. Gunn ..touched upon the high 1 value-’ placed on. education by the race from which' he'had sprung, and brushing aside a facetious inquiry as to wliieli race he was referring: to, he went on to say that, his listeners could . smile, but, nevertheless, it was. a fact tliat Scotland was the .first civilised country to place education on an organised basis. (Laughter). The Scottish people would make every possible sacrifice in order to afford tliei.r children a good education. Personally lie knew of families which : had to that end gone without many necessities of'everyday flifo (Applause)'. _ . Rotarian Peach mentioned that ’it had .been strewed that the -school syllabus tended to be overloaded,.but it bad . to be remembered' tliat' good followed from. the study of every subject. Some people were -perhaps inclined to regard higher education as more widely essential ~ . than was the case. ‘.Me had-even read that one secondaty schoolmaster had claimed that some day even the men-' who followed the plough would be masters or bachelors of 'arts'! An even wider and more important subject than'that which was being discussed was that it didn’t'necessarily follow that there would be positions available if many .graduated highly along the particular line for which they were best suited. Even to-day many lads stayed on at.- secondary schools because they could not secure employment in the direction at which they had aimed. !n. closing the discussion, Rotariam Canon Pack© reiiiarked that ho was well .satisfied with the manner in; which the main problem lie had raised had > been debated: that the aim 'or education should be.-to draw out of a student what were his or her best talents. He..was afraid he could; not altogether agree with Rotarian: Dr. Gunn in his assumption that the-' Scottish people alone made great sacrifices on behalf of their children’s education. On one occasion, when lio ■was. returning Homo from West Africa; the passengers also included] two young Irish doctors.- • Their par-1 .eiits bad.been so poor that, when they! went off to their studies every morning tlie only food they h%l received-, was half a loaf of bread betweeni them. At the time when, ho met’ them one was earning £I2OO a year, and tlie other £4OOO a year. Jewish parents also made- like sacrifices and lie had -often wondered "if' the fact ! that Jews ,paid so much attention to education Was the explanation why t-hc-yl were nob afraid' to scatter throughout-the world. Tlie various speakers were' heartily thanked for. their contributions to . tho discussion.