AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 17 October 1921, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION

ITS PLACE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

VIEWS OF THK MINISTER FOR

EDUCATION

Speaking at the prjze-giving function on but unlay in connection with boys' and girls' agricultural clubs, the Minister for Education mentioned that' public school teachers were supposed I under their regulations to teach elementary .agricultural science. The idea was that the little ones should begin with nature study j in the higher standards they had plots of ground that were really small field laboratories, whore the scholars could watch the growth and progress of plant life. It depended very largely upon the individual teacher how this was done, It raaf be done in a perfunctory way— and be was afraid that that was so in some cases—or the teacher may enter into this work heart and soul, because iit was really one of the most important subjects in the curriculum. He^tvas very glad to know that the majority of the Taranaki teachers were keen on this subject, and he wanted to thank them for it and to congratulate them upon the results achieved bo far. He (the Minister) would be failing in Tiis duty if he did not express his appreciation of the work being done by the Taranaki Board's agricultural instructors. They were the men who did not come much into the limelight, but there was ample evidence that their work had been excellently done in this province. He desired especially to thank Mr Johnson, the Board's chief instructor, for his splendid work. (Applause.) He was glad, too. that the j officers of the Agricultural Department had .been able to lend, such valuable assistance in this work. It was right and proper that their work in this connection should be co-operated. % As a I result of this movement he trusted that I boys and girls, but particularly, the 1 boys, would get a bias and grow up to bo fond of farming life. He was glad to know that they had other competi- , tions besides the growing of-root crops; it was equally important that they i should know something of animal life | and later on of the physiology of animals. Calf-rearing was a good move. It would get boys and girls more interested in farm life than the growing of root .crops only. He (the speaker) began to realise now why farming was so successful in Taranaki. It was the children coming home irom their agricultural science classes who were teaching the old hands that there was somethinfijn the science of agriculture. And the old hands, good practical men, were sufficiently alive to their own interests to take advantage of the scientific knowledge conveyed to them by these boys and girls.