COST OF EDUCATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 208, 1 August 1928, Page 11

COST OF EDUCATION

FIGURES FOR NEW ZEALAND. ADDRESS TO W.E.A. The question as to whether education is costing New Zealand too much was dealt with last evening by Mr K. Ross, M.A., D. Soc. Sc., in his lecture to W.E.A. class. Mr C. E. R. Joblin presided over a fair attendance in which school teachers were well represented. In opening, Mr Ross said that the opinions he would give were not necessarily. his own or those of the W.E.A., as he was endeavouring to give to his hearers the best current thought of leading educationalists.

WHAT EDUCATION IS. Tire ancient Greeks had considered the schools as of first importance, and as a result of the training given a high standard of culture and integrity had prevailed both in public and private life. Rt. Hon. Stanley Baldwin had declared non© to be educated who did not know his own job, and sufficient of the other’s job to understand and appreciate his viewpoint. The Lord Chief Justice of England had said education to be learning how to learn, a proocss that should not cease with youth or middle-age. Rf. Hon. M install Churchill laid stress upon lucidity of thought and clarity of expression “to he able to write a good, clear letter upon a delicate subject, and to accurately describe what one has seen heard and learnt.” Business houses to-day were housed in ornate edifices on the most valuable and prominent sites in the community, while-the schools often were forced to occupy meaner buildings in less suitable positions, and it appeared as if the community as a whole considered affairs of commerce to be of greater moment than questions of education. Some striking figures were quoted to show the advances made in education in tins country. In 1900, the sum of £515,146. or 9.1 per cent of the total revenue had been spent on education; 5j ’Sl'pibSr.m &iß?:®| 11.8 per centum; . 1.927, £3,910,241, 10.2 per. cent. The percentages of total revenuo spent by various states on education were .as follow : Japan. Bulgaria, TO ; Prance, Belgium, 6; Victoria, 9.1; Denmark, Holland, 20; Norway, Sweden. 19; New South Wales,. 11. The figures for education m New Zealand actually included a certain amount spent by -the Education Department on work not usually regarded, strictly, ns education— e.g., sums expended on boarding out m suitable houses boys beyond parental control Some other nations separated these amounts and the comparisons between other countries and this might not be in all cases accurate. Mr W. Good,, a correspondent of the Manchester Guardian, declared that Russia to-day was actively indulging in an educative programme, endeavouring not only to do away .with llbteracv —formerly the worst m Euiope but to give tho populace a in international politics. Whateve one might think of their PoW«*> could at least admire a national spirit that moved tho people to endeavour to understand was was undoubtedly an important matter. In all forms ot art—music, tho theatro, drama, .literature, Russia to-day was one of the leading countries of the voilcl. TREASURES OF LITERATURE.

Considering, the amoprit spent this Dominion on education,, v e had. a. re markably small appreciation of the treasures available to all m our p English authors. In the speakei s opinion this was largely, due to the fact that the matriculation examination overshadowed the whole of the work in our secondary schools. Examinations caught a candidate when exciteinent maclo him not at his best. The marking of 6000 matriculation papers accurately and fairly was impossible by an examiner at the end of the year, tired by his year s w oik. It was his opinion that it - should be left to the teachers and headmasters, who were quite capable, to say wliotiier a scholar deserved a certificate that he was fit to take his place in the world. The public itself was to blame for the present examination system as it demanded examinations. Many examinations wero set by university professors out of touch with modern conditions. The chief inspector of secondary schools foretold that commercial subjects, art, music and woodwork, hitherto regarded as of minor importance and frequently relegated into tho background, would in future be regarded as of greater moment. The chief inspector of technical schools stressed that education shoudl proceed .on the broadest lines so as to develop heart and hand as well as brain. There was a general feeling iri Grelit Britain that the -national aim must be to give to each child the highest possible education not only to fit the country to meet the keenest industrial competition in the markets of the world, but also to restore the prestige of the worker and regain for labour that dignity and public esteem in which it had been vested in the middle ages. “Education must fit each individual to take his place in society,” declared Mr Ross. “Sooner or later every scholar. must become one of the community, and if we are going to build the school curricula on matters out of touch with real life, the child will be improperly prepared when the time comes for him to go out into the world. Tho new primary school syllabus, I am glad to say, with all its faults gives more scope to the teacher and enables him to give his pupils a better grounding.”Referring to children sent to private schools, Mr Ross said that sooner or later they would have to mix with others in the community. THE NEW SYLLABUS.

Arithmetic under the new syllabus was being made more practical so as to teach tho pupils to deal witli the everyday problems of life; history was leaning to the economic side, rather than traversing battles and the dates of coronations; geography and science were calculated to instal a knowledge of practical modern affairs and tho wonders of nature.

The teaching of home science to' girls made them capable of recognising the most valuable foods to build bone and flesh. Our system of medical inspection had revealed a tremendous amount of malnutrition in our town schools, but in the country districts the position was even worse. The health of the children was so bad owing to lack of vitamins in the diet, that the school doctors were afraid to make the report public. Unless we had the support of tho parents we would get nowhere with regards to improvement in education. A good strong public opinion behind education was necessary to secure advancement. Suggested improvements in our curriculum were to increase the tinie available for cultural subjects, devote more attention to agriculture encourage closer cooperation between teacher, parent and pupil. Virile school committee composed of the best men in the community could do a great deal for their respective schools, and Mr Eoss in concluding appealed to those present;,to'-aid in :tlie cause of education by this or other means.