EDUCATION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 21 June 1924, Page 5

EDUCATION.

SATISFACTORY PROGRESS. (BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, June 20. Satisfaction with the progress made in the Dominion in recent years in matters of education was expressed by the Minister of Education (Hon. C. J. Parr), when addressing the Council of Education to-clay. Mr. Parr congratulated members on the decision to keep the council alive. He thought that educational bodies gave too much time to matters of administrative importance and administrative policy. He thought the time would be better spent in looking into what was going on inside the schools. Education had made a considerable advance in New Zealand, and he was sure the teachers were more intelligent than they were, and the product of the schools was a more intelligent and re-' sourceful young person. There was almost a passion for post primary or secondary education, added Mr. Parr. The average parent was no longer satisfied with a- sixth standard certificate.

Dealing with history in schools, Mr. Parr said, he might ask the council to appoint a commission to go thoroughly into the question. Unfortunately, the work of the secondary schools had not the freedom which characterised work in the primary schools, as the pupils felt the shadow of the matriculation examination hanging over them. Dir. Parr thpught that more importance should he given tb the leaving certificate, in order to give it a higher commercial value. He also stressed the need of remedying the evil of larger classes in primary schools.