PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 445, 10 July 1922, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

The Education Committee of the House proposed tj ho set up includes Mr J. A. Nash, member for Palmerston. Last evening (says the Dominion) Mr E. Slatbam, M.P.. met a full meeting ot the executive- of the National Progressive and Moderate Labour Party and the matter of his retirement from the Tinted Party was considered with the result that, his action was unanimously approved and endorsed by the meeting. It was turtheimoro unanimously resolved that as thoie had been no renl fusion of practice between the two parties, the National Progressne and Moderate Labour Parly dissociated itself altogether from the Timed Parly and will continue us a separate and distinct partv under Mr Statliam’s leadership. The Minister of, Education (Mr Parr) told the members of the House of Representatives something about the proposed reform of the education system yesterday. “All ihat has boon dooidod is to make a trial of the new type of school in one centre or possibly 'two centres,” said the Minister,' “This is the junior high school, which deals with children horn 12 to 15 vears of age. J should liko_ iHe House to realise that in other countries the system has got far beyond the experimental stage. It, is in operation in iho Tinted States and Canada. The junior high schools are to he {omul in England, in Scotland, in Wales and in Australia. The time has come at lea-t for a trial of the new schools here. The Minister added that existing school buildings would be used and the teachers would bo drawn from existing schools. The idea was simply to shorten the elementary course so that‘the child could complete it at the age of twelve years and to provide an intermediate secondary course between (ho ages of 12 and 15 years. Educationalists all over the world were saving that six years, not eight years, was the proper period for elementary education.