EDUCATIONAL.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 719, 3 April 1900, Page 2

EDUCATIONAL.

The annual report of the inspectors under the Southland Education Board has been published, and a copy lies before us. This document is, to the student of educational matters, equally interesting with kindred productions of former years, and possibly somewhat more so on account of its signalising the passing away of the old order of things and the creation of the new : this in regard to tho inauguration of the revised syllabus which changes so radically the whole scheme of classification of pupils in our schools. But of this more anon. The inspector's report sounds a cheerful note in its review of the year's work. It expresses a conviction that substantial progress has been made in the cause of* education generally, and particularises several of the contributing agencies. Foremost of these was the gradual but steady dispersion of highly qualified teachers throughout the district, the result of this being that teaching talent of the highest quality has been made available to towns and country villages alike. The advantages of this diffusion of able teachers cannot be over-estimated, tending as it must to level the preponderating country centres (from an educational point, of view) up to the same plane as that upon which towns with advantages peculiarly their own stand in relation to such matters. Another fact which calls for considerable gratification is that in all the schools there has been improvement in the methods of teaching. This is perhaps most marked in the instruction of the lower classes, in many instances of which the kindergarten system is being applied with the greatest success. ' That .which ranks equally as high for importance and significance with the two previously named factors in a year of: progress is the marked improvement in the capacity and ability of candidates for ~positions as pupil teachers. ; ;'ln connection with this matter the' report states :— "At the beginning of the period almost the goie Qualifications of eandi-

iates|oorr r tju&pffice. were some practice iii -teaching and a fifth ot sixth stanc(- _ ird pass. At; the present time, for $, ayery.yacancy - that occurs, the Board ri receiyM,; applications > from" young n people;.; who, in addition to passing their standard - examinations and hay- « ing.fjMd] some practice in teaching, h ha^e-Bialfcriculated, passed the Junior or Senior Civil Service Examination * or'seenr^d the teacher's D or.E certifi- £ cate. jJ;Many of these candidates have |j mcreoWr been holders of Board's y scholarships, and so have the additional advantage of having had a c course" of education at the local High School: Thus the ranks of the. teach- * ing profession are filled by the pick of i otir. ; scholars,. and a department of the t public^service is supplied by a process » of rigorous selection." The senti- £ -ments of the inspectors regarding' the revised syllabus coinciding so nearly ■, with those we have expressed re- ] peatedly. for several years past, it is I unnecessary that we should enter into 1 an. elaborate commendation of them. J Of the .old syllabus the inspectors , speak in terms which indicate their . thorough agreement that it has served • its day and generation and must yield before the advanced times and reformed ideas of which daily life now partakes so largely. But they recognise its merits, which they tritely state " consisted in the thoroughness and in the strenuous effort towards certain definite ends it demanded of the teacher." Nor could they be blind to its demerits. These were comprised " in the chill atmosphere of routine and the dull monotony of mechanical methods into which, in the hands of all but the most skilful, it was apt to degenerate." " The revised syllabus," the report proceeds, " has been prepared with the view of bringing our school work into agreement with existing social conditions and with the spirit of the times. "What appear to be its most beneficent provisions to those actually engaged in the work of education are the following: — To the pupil it brings relief in the form of less rigorous examination, and variety of occupation in the form of handwork. Many a child whose mind is irresponsive to ordinary instruction, whoso store of nerve energy is scant at the centres of thought but plentiful at the tips of his fingers, will now be solaced by an occasional hour's learning by doing, during which his natural tastes may freely manifest themselves. Again, pupils who excel in any subject, arithmetic for instance, need not keep marking time till their slower class-mates come into line : the frequency of their promotion will be in proportion to their own diligence. Once more, supreme importance is attached to the subject of reading, the full import of which provision will not be adequately recognised till girlhood and boyhood merge into youth, and youth into womanhood and manhood. The advantages of the revised syllabus to the teacher may be summed up iv a single word, and that is the word freedom. His individuality will now haVe a better chance of asserting itself in those directions whither his natural bent and abilities lead him. He will be able to study to a greater extent the tastes and temperament of individual pupils, promoting the brighter while not unduly hurrying the more backward. Acting more largely on his own initiative and recognising the larger trust that has been reposed in him, he must perforce develop an increase of originality, penetration, and power in grappling with the problems of his profession." No words of ours are necessary to press conviction upon the community that the revised syllabus is an advantage over the old one in almost every respect. Its superiority is zevealed at ', every turn, and its adoption should open up a vista in the illimitable expanse of education hitherto unexplored by any secondary system yet at- , tempted in the colony. Other matters dealt with by the report are the need for greater facilities for pursuing the study of agricultural science and al- [ lied topics, the importance of fostering . the accomplishment of the art of swirnt ming among children, the necessity ! for military drill and the desirableness of the Board's taking steps to popularise study in handwork by teachers (in view of the demand for technical education) and also the wisdom of its recognising in some special way the efforts of teachers who treat such subjects successfully. The report as a whole, as has been indicated, is of a most satisfactory nature, and should serve to strengthen the faith of the community in the many excellent , teachers to whom the sacred duty of [ educating the young is entrusted.