“TIME TO REORGANISE”

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 213, 23 August 1927, Page 8

“TIME TO REORGANISE”

EDUCATION IN N.Z. COMPARISON WITH NEW SOUTH WALES. “Compared with New Zealand, the teaching given in the schools in New SoulTi Wales is more practical; a greater after-benefit is derived from it; and it tends to provide better service to the. community. ” These views were expressed by iaiss Irvine Smith, of the Wellington Training College, at a meeting of the Wellington Euucation Board, when she gave members some of her impress ons about education in New Soutn Wales.

Miss Smith explained, at the outset, that her object in visiting Australia was 'o investigate the methods of teaching in the Sydney Training College. One thousand two hundred and lifty students attended rue’ colhTge, and the staff consisted of many o* the most efficient teachers in the State.

“1 found/’ she said, “that there was no overcrowding, tliat the staffs were more efficient than ours, that cue equipment was better, and tnal a child went in £or the career for which ho was most suited. 1 think the time has come in New Zealand when we should reorganise our education system, especially post-primary work which should bo put on a sound er and a more economic basis. We have in New Zealand primary, secondary, and technical school teachers ail graded differently and working more or less in water-tight conqailments. We feel in our hearts that teacher of a. secondary school is on a slightly higher social basis than a technical school teacher, and this sort of thing should not cxtsi. We arc stressing the professional side of edu cation too much. We are pandering to a sense of gentility. After all, it 13 by hand-work and not by the clasaics that the masses have to live.”

Miss Smith thought that a wider use should be made of handwork in its broadcast sense. Work she had seen in Sydney was of a very high standard Indeed. But there was every bit as good in New Zealand. The school interiors in Australia were more beautiful than ours. This Has not the result of the expenditure of money, but came about rather J'rom directing talent along the right lines.

Referring to the grading system tn operation in Australia, Miss Smith said that while in New Zealand it was possible to climb to the top of the ladder merely by a certain amount of “swot,” students in Australia had to go through several stages before they were given charge of a school of any size. They were also required to spend three years in the country. Some of th' l Tackblocks in Australia, she said, were beyond a New Zealander's conception, and she instanced one teacher who to get. to his destination, had to travel 500 miles by train and then 150 miles more on the back of a camel.