SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 102, 30 March 1929, Page 3

SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

ADMISSION TOO EASY? CHRISTCHURCH, Alarch 28. “I am in opposition to fthe system by which every child which can get a proficiency certificate is enabled to go to a secondary school for three years,” said Mr J. J. Dougall to a reporter. Only a very few of the boys and girls went through the full period, he said; the greater number left after a year or so. Often they were kept till seventeen or eighteen years of age, at which tim© they had passed the stage when they could enter a trade or ordinary business. No one could take on boys of their age when regulations required that they should be paid according to age. The result was that many could not get employment at all. “The expense is enormous,” said Mr Dougall, “and the result is certainly not in accord, with the cost of keeping the child at a secondary school. As the great bulk of these children have no desire to enter any profession, requiring university training, they are put out into the world only half educated. They are over educated for somo things and not sufficiently educated for others.” He thought it was a general opinion that everyone wished to see the rising generation get a good education, but instead of proficiency certificates he would like to see bursaries given to qualified children, and the examination for the bursary should be of a higher standard than that of the proficiency certificate. He was given to understand, he said, that, the great majority of teachers in \ secondary schools,; and also tho proFessors in the university, thought that Lhe progress of education would be greater if there -were not so many students in the higher classes: “I think,” loncludod Mr Dougall, “that a large 1 portion of the expense entailed by the < proficiency certificate is certainly < vaste.” £