EDUCATION COMMISSION.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 157, 19 June 1912, Page 5

EDUCATION COMMISSION.

Dunedin, June 18.

Giving evidence before the Education Commission to-day, Miss Ross, Principal of Girton College, declared that there was a marked deficiency in primary- school pupils in essentials when they came to the secondary schools. Mr. Pryde, ex-secretary of the Education Board, defended school committees having a voice in the selection of teachers, but acknowledged that buttonholing and canvassingon the part of teachers became a positive scandal in and around Dunedin. A Council of Education would be a good thing if it secured a proper interpretation of the code and the alterations therein made on the advice of experts. The conferencesconvened by the Education Department were useless, because they were dominated by officials. Mr. Waters, head of a produce firm in the city, expressed the opinion that the primary education of to-day did not produce lads so well grounded in the three R's as boys twenty years ago.

Mr Bossence. Inspector of Schools, said the increase in the cost of education was due to the recognition of the importance of the subject to the well-being cf the community. He thought the authorities should consider the question of a differentiated -yl'abus for girls’ high schools in recognition of the essential difference between the sexes. G. C. Israel, a member of the Education Board, advocated closing a number o+' the small schools and teaching the children living within i radius cf ton miles at a well-equip-ped central school. He was opposed to the curtailment of the powers cf school committees.