EVIDENCE IN INVERCARGILL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 24 June 1912, Page 8

EVIDENCE IN INVERCARGILL.

BY TBT.EGRAPn-PIVESS ASSOCIiTIOS

INVERCARGILL, June 22. The Education Comission continued its sitting to-day, and is still taking evidence to-night, with a view of finishing here before the week-end.

Miss Jobson, principal of tlie Girls' High School, said that the examinations for proficiency certificates did not «eem to be a thorough test of profi■cieitcy. In the majority of proficiency pupils, she had found a decided weakness in English and arithmetic. This was due, not to the teachers, but to the fact that too much attention was given te subjects less fundamental in education, and that the syllabus lacked definiteness, this inducing a lack of thoroughness. She would strongly advocate the reinstatement of grammar upon the syllabus, though by no means desiring to return to the old state of affairs, when grammar was a grievous and unprofitable burden; yet the simple and fundamental rules of grammar were a necessity, and its importance in relation to English composition and as a tasis for the study of foreign languages. This would surely be admitted by any sxperienced teacher of these subjects, who would have probably found the ignorance of elementary grammatical principles a serious difficulty. Mr T. D. Pearce, rector of the Boys' High School, said that the foundation or primary education lacked simplicity ■and solidity. With a liberal interpretation the. three R's could comprise the primary course of education. He advocated more attention being paid to the elements of formal grammar with the -use of the grammatic.nl sense in the fifth and sixth standards. He was a believer in home-work. They could not progress m secondary subjects without exact memorising. Boys who came from sohols where home-work was not set mads the poorest progress; boys from schools where home-work was "not set ■^Olldest progress. As regards scholarships no had formed the opinion that the *J I°*"ient of a scholarship of the value -of £p to town sohols was a mistake. He considered the money would be better «oent in the provision of scholarship tor country boys, thus aiding them in the desire for further education. Overdoping, so far as he was aware, existed P,t one point, but was between the so-called day technical schools and the Jnech schools. There was little difference between their time-tables and subjects of instruction, and as the day technical schools were born last they were the guilty parties in the overlapping. *