Grey River Argus MONDAY, December 10, 1928. THE PRIMARY SCHOOL EXPUPIL.

Grey River Argus, 10 December 1928, Page 4

Grey River Argus MONDAY, December 10, 1928. THE PRIMARY SCHOOL EXPUPIL.

There has recently been a controversy as to the correlation of Dominion primary with secondary and technical education, which left in its wake some marked differences of opinion, but with regard to pupils unable to go beyond Ithe primary school, there scarcely will be any disagreement as to the wisdom of organising means to find them the most suitable employment at the end of their school days. As the Secretary’s letter in this issue will show, this question is now being broached by the N.Z. Educational Institute, at the instance of the Director of Education prompted by the prospect of so many pupils jjeing about to leave school in. order to begin life’s battle for themselves. The Institute deserves every assistance from the public, and particularly from the employers and organisers of labour, in its endeavour thus to bridge what only too many have found a critical gap in their lives. It is late in the present year for a start to be made, but in such an undertaking it can never be too late. As the successful solution of the problem calls first for study of the needs and possibilities of the situation, no better data could be sought than that to be given by the exodus following the annual proficiency examinations. Prior to the spread cf unemployment, it used to be notorious that a larger proportion of boys were attracted to unskilled and “dead end” oecu pations than to the trades, the more skilled of which should now offer the Educational Institute more openings for pupils than they might expect, as it is often said the Dominion needs good tradesmen as much as any other class of immigrant. In judging the aptitude of pupils, the teachers should be better than the parents, upon whom the responsibility of finding employment generally reposes, and employers would doubtless accept the recommendation of the teacher at least as con fidently as that of the parent or the applicant for employment The technical schools can bea. witness to this. Moreover, the teachers, once they assume in thismatter any share of responsibility, would on becoming more familiar with requirements, direct pupils earlier towards their fulfilment, and turn them out the better adapted for their prospective employment. For instance, a West Coast teacher who has lately taken note of primary education in Australia, reports that many useful occupations are there taken up at comparatively an early stage in the schools, with excellent results. Each locality has its special conditions and opportunities. The danger of unemployment is greater now than it has been in New Zealand hitherto, but with the growth of population and the improvement of the mechanical and other arts, the variety of openings, as well as their number, must be greater than ever. The Institute aims to bring pupils and prospective employers into personal touch, the obvious way to generate mutual interest and trust. Given a goal at which to aim while still in school, it is quite probable the pupil will be more apt than otherwise to co-operate with his present and prospective tutors in fitting himself to become an expert artisan. No doubt, much could be done for girls as well as for boys by the teachers, towards the choice of an occupation, and just How much it would be imnossible to say until the movement proposed' had been brought into op eration. Without doubt, no profession has such power to influence succeeding generations as that possessed by the teachers, just as no other profession would naturally have such an interest in the eventual welfare of the younger generation as the one

by whom it has so largely been studied and moulded. Llffimate ly an organisation representing the several interests involved might be established to correlate primary education with national industry. The immediate objective, however, is enough in the meantime, the prevention of an idle interruption between school and employment in the career of the adolescent. The inspiration of a philanthropic ideal will do more to attain that end throughout the country than any centralised bureaucracy. It is therefore a good sign that the Institute is taking up the project, which must meet a long-left want.