LIGHT ON EDUCATION

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 2 December 1933, Page 9

LIGHT ON EDUCATION

OBJECT OF CARNEGIE GRANT FIELDS FOR N.Z. RESEARCH. i Tlic underlying object in the establishment in New Zealand by the Carnegie Corporation of New York of a council for Educational Research, said Professor T A. Hunter, Victoria University College, in an interview at Wellington on Friday, was to help to throw light on the different aspects of the Dominion’s educational system, apd bring before the educational authorities its strong points and its weak points. The organisation, Professor Hunter prophesied, would be on lines similar to Ciat ni Australia, where valuable results had been attained. It would investigate any educational question at all that might be decided upon. Branches would be established in the four main centres, he thought, and tho policy to be followed and the distribution' of the money would be decided upon by the council. Grants would be made to enable research work that had been approved to be carried out, although that would be done largely through the Department of Education and the university colleges. The seven members who had been invited to constitute the council would give the movement a start; later, he anticipated the various branches would elect their own representatives, and ultimately the organisation would run itself. ALL-ROU ND CO-OPER ATION. Professor Hunter wished to emphasise that the movement had the cooperation of all the educational bodies in the Dominion. The Minister of Education, the Department' of Education, and the boards and teachers of all the various schools were in sympathy with it, and there was a general desire to see something clone, particularly as New- Zealand had had to suffer on account of her isolation. In Australia, Mr F. Tait, formerly Director of Education in Victoria, and well known among educational authorities in New Zealand for his work on commissions, was president of the Australian Research Council, said Professor Hunter. Dr. Cunningham, the executive officer on the council, did research work himself, as well as keeping in touch with and co-ordinating the work. In Prqfessqir Hunter’s opinion, it would be necessary to have a man in a similar capacity in New Zealand. . The Carnegie Corporation ol New York was well known for the excellent work it had done in the Dominion. It included extension work in home scionce, etc.j in nncl Ount'eibui\, and W.E.A. library grants, in addition to a liberal emergency grant to the W.E.A. two years ago, and generous assistance to the university libj varies. The corporation had decided Ito provide the Research Council with an annual grant of 17,500 dollars foi five years. The money would be paid in dollars and would receive the advantage of the 25 per cent, exchange. R.EPR ESENTATIVE GROUP.

The first council which tho corporation has chosen is a representative one, consisting as it does of Professor T A. Hunter, Vice-Chancellor of the University of New Zealand and professor of psychology at Victoria. University College; Professor W. H. Gould, chairman of the Victoria University College Professorial Board and professor of education; Professoi James Shelley, Canterbury University College, professor of education ; Mr O. C Gilrav, headmaster of McGlashan College, Dunedin, a member of the University Council, and a 190< Rhodes Scholar; Mr F. Milner, rector of Waitalii Boys’ High School, who was largely responsible for the establishment of the summer school movement for teachers; Mr D l . M. Rae, principal of the Teachers’ 1 raining College air Auckland ;Mr TJ. W ells, a member of the Auckland University College Council, and one who lias played prominent part in education in the Dominion. This personnel is conditional upon the acceptance of the persons named.