EDUCATION MATTERS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 13 September 1928, Page 5

EDUCATION MATTERS

NEW SYLLABUS RECOMMENDATION'S, ' ESTIMATED TO 'COST £SOO,OOO. (By Telegraph—Brew Association.; WELLINGTON, Sept. 12. The House of Representatives this afternoon resumed the adjourned debate on .the report of the Education Department. Mr IP. Fraser urged that ample money - should be placed at the disposal of the Y Ministry with' which to replace old schools'by new buildings. He also urged that some steps should be taken to reduce the size o'f classes which' in manv cases were unwieldy. Mr G. W. Forbes drew attention what he called the inadequacy.of boarding allowance made to country children, attending town schools. , Mr T. M. Wilford asked the Minister ✓ to say what line of policy he proposed to adopt with regard to the large number of children being turned out annually from 'technical schools. Mr D. .Buddo .complained -that too many amateur experts were being allowed to interfere with the education system-. There were too many fads and fancies, one Of the 'most stupid of - which was the recent movement to teach 'children 11 years of age secondary subjects. / 'The Leader of the Opposition (Mr

H E. Holland) objected to the .power given to the Minister to make regulations which override the statute law of the country. H e also wanted to see a revision of the legisaltion dealing with . teachers’ right of appeal against nonappointmenf. At present teachers hadno right of appeal, Which,, was quite wrong. ’ . . .. . Z--.. - The Minister, in reply, admitted that classes in New Zealand were too large. He was striving to get them down to 40 scholars, -and when he had done that it might be possible to work for the ideal of '3O mentioned • by Mr Fraser. Bound up with that was the remodelling of many of the scnools. These buildings had very large rooms,- aiyl, these rooms- had to be made more suitable for smaller classes. This was work which he had in hand, and was pushing on as 'fast as possible. ;So far,as junior high schools were concerned, he thought they provided the ideal svstem. The only question was one of' cost.. That hold been the difficulty in the past and was the difficulty still, as ho was not going to launch out into that system unless the necessary money was granted, that simply meant that some other branch would have to be starved.

He was now considering* the recommendation of -the syllabus committee which, if given effect to, would cast £BOO.OOO, and Cabinet would-be asked whether that sum could be provided. He. reminded the member for Hurunui that the grant towards country children attending town schools was only a grant in aid and was not intended to cover the whole cost. . He had not given much attention to the question as to what; was to be done with boys and girls leaving school; he was mainly concerned with giving them the best possible education while they were at school. The other was, however a live question, and he hoped that with'The evident improvement in trade and business there would be less diffir cultv in placing young people after they leave school than had been the case during the last few years, to . The Minister justified the power for make drastic regulations as being a measure to meet an emergency. The Education Act was sometimes .difficult to understand and it sadly needed overhaul. He had hoped to have done it this session, but found it too big a task. He hoped to do it next session. Ia the meantime he did not entirely agree with the power to .make such regulations, but in the present state of_ the Act it could not very well be avoided.