THE OVERCROWDED SYLLABUS

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 118, 16 May 1912, Page 4

THE OVERCROWDED SYLLABUS

The Hamilton, School Committee, i n pasisiihj^: a resolution to the< effect tin r, th© ;..primai^v.<acho.Ql:;':syll'abusi.'. is •overcrowded', arid that consequent]^ thr> arithmetic, residing, and wi'iting <-f the children, <w^<not -v/hat they pu'ghf to be, will ha-ve the sympathy of nil:a few New Zealanders who tako ji special interest in. matters, ednoational. Of late years has been a,n ever-increasing disposition ..on.-vhe1' pa.rt of the -tedu<?ation-.Department. 10 tack on extrVi. subjects to the ordinary primary r school_ i .cou.iise-, and it is fi\4quentiy remarked by schoolmasters of long expe|ienc^ th at this "ove r^ crowding of tlie. syllabus has «jn injurious effect upon th© efficiency, gained by tho .sciiqlars in the -thres really basic # subjecisi—'reading, writing, and arithmetic—-of primary, education. We have heard comparisons made bet'tven the general efficiency of, say fifth standard pupils sxs they wo; c twenty years .'<go and a a they nj-e todi'uy, which a/j-e distinctly unfavorable to the present system; Merc intjle men in the cities, where young nv>n iara .required for. office employment, liave frequently referied to the fr.ct that j;he j v/riting, spelling, i*nd arithmetip. ,pf,. youths i who come to them froni the primary schools—©vfr; those who have passed the seventh stanaard-^-f-ar.e soften of a mo«t urisatisfovctory cnaracter. Special ooiuplaint has beep, made of th© writing and .the; •,swithmetic. .When the h\Ui Mr HaberiEj'; wi'sVSeeretfM'y for Education, he always insisted upon a most rigid strflidaircV' of efficiency being miiiintained! in th© primary subject's:' buit since his dea-th, tli© tendency I as been to. add one /'fancy" subject ;vfU v another, until tho'school-children of to-d(ay get &, wretched smattering of a lot of -subjects. which might i"ar better, be, studied .after -the -pupils have left..,;iS:chodl, ' whilst tho tinio ftvailable fpr th© really ©ssential mbjects has; b;e©n whittled down-to sup J.i an-extent as to render it impossdble for good results :b6 be obtained. Wo have of ten!'. referred: to the heavy expense ©ntailed by the introducti'm of free secondfiry-' ©d'n cation and tl-e establiahmerit ,of free 'techni^ji] schools." Apart'- frbni^h© expense iV is ( !.ii Open question whether this rushing of the children on xr.tc secondary schools lias not had an ::;- jurious ©ffect upon the teaching .->f the primai-y subjects. Mr Haria-n the new • Miniatei- for Education, ?*•, we believe, extremely keen upou-pro-servmg and increasing the efficiency of the primary sphools. We wisli ho would devote some time to a carefai investigation of the primary schoil syllabus end satisfy himself ns. fo whether .-it is advisable so to '*load ' it up with extra subjects as to impair the quality of the Work don© in th© real groundwork of all educa tion, reading, writing, and arithmetic.

, The protest which Inas been made by , the Hamilton School Committee hi.-' ' not, w© believe, come one day befor<? Lit was wanted.