REFORMS IN EDUCATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 199, 21 July 1930, Page 6

REFORMS IN EDUCATION

ANALYSIS OF REPORT. “CONCRETE AND PRACTICAL.** VIEWS OF HEADMASTER. “I think the report a very valuable one. It is a concrete and practical reply bo criticism levelled for many years at the spstem. When its very definite proposals have been thoroughly examined by all concerned and the inevitable modifications made, I have no doubt that it will form the basis of a new system suited to the needs oi this C °ThiUwas the statement made to a “Standard” reporter by Mr F. V . Moore M.A., headmaster ot the West End School, when he was interviewed concerning the report, which has been presented to Parliament by the Select Committee on Education. Some lnteiesting observations were made by Mr Aloore, who is a former secretary oi the New Zealand Headmasters’ Association and at present occupies the position of teachers’ advocate on the Grading Appeal Board for the Wanganui education district. Dealing with the salient features of the report, he commented: REMOVING DOMINANT INFLUENCE. “The disappearance of the proficiency certificate and the matriculation examination as the respective objectives of the primary and secondary _ courses will I think, be welcomed by most teachers. They have too long dominated the school course, though they have a certain value in providing a standard to work to. The proficiency certificate will of course be no longer required by the new primary schools, as every child will proceed to an niteimediate school, irrespective ot his standard of attainment. “To my mind the proposal to assist necessitous cases to higher education bv the diversion of scholarship funds is an excellent one. The statement that the way from the primary school to the University is open to every child is far from true. In common with others I have known many instances of children of outstanding ability being forced by economic pressure to abandon the development of their special ability at a critical stage and seek any available means, however unsuited to their gifts, of earning money. Linder modern conditions I can see no grea.t future for a country failing to utilise to the best advantage the talents of the community. THE AGRICULTURAL BIAS. “I doubt the wisdom of making agriculture a major subject in the curriculum of the new primary schools, which will contain pupils to the , age of 11 plus only. At that stage the essential groundwork for subsequent education is the first consideration. The amount of time devoted to the basal subjects cannot suffer any reduction to enable agriculture to take pride of place in the curriculum. Moreover, I am inclined to think that any attempt, to delve too deeply into either practical or theoretical agriculture (or even .into nature study in its wider sense) wouid be forcing on very immediate minds a subject more suited to a later stage. “I am also not entirely convinced that rigid adherence to a leaving age of 15 would be all to the good. Most children would undoubtedly benefit by it, if only for physical reasons; bur there is a small proportion for whom at about the age of 14 the world is a better educator than any school. _ A great deal depends on the stage of development, the mentality, the type cf character, and the intended occupation, and it seems to me that contact with the realities of the world, even if it were only in part-time employment, would in some cases be infinitely preferable to further schooling. SOLVING A PROBLEM. “The proposed establishment of intermediate schools promises a solution of a pressing problem, that of placing our boys and girls in the occupation most suited to their ability. At the present time the bent of a few pupils is discernible -while they are still in the primary schools, but the majority are too young —the average pupil completes his primary course at about 13 — tor any definite vocational guidance to be given. If the present wastage and misdirected effort can be avoided by means of exploratory courses in intermediate schools the experiment will be well worth while, especially in the larger centres where conditions to some extent resemble those in England where such schools are in operation. “The present power ot the boards to make appointments is to be vested in a National Appointments Committee under control of the department. This will no doubt be opposed by those who believe that the local authorities having a more intimate knowledge of the requirements of their own schools are better fitted to make suitable appointments. _ In practice, however, the system will differ very little from the present one, the boards now having no power to depart from the Dominion grading list except in a small proportion of special appointments. As long as the gradino- list is the basis of promotion and the New Zealand Educational Institute stands solidly for that, there will be little difference as far as the primary service is concerned. “1 think a single controlling authority for all types of schools in each educational area will find general favour on the score of both efficiency and economy. It is proposed to invest local education authorities with new and responsible duties but the exact nature and extent of these will not be known until regulations defining their iunction and j>owers are .issued. REFORMS IN SERVICE. “Teachers generally will he particularly interested in the concluding section of the report dealing with the unification of the services. There is to be one teacher’s register covering ali branches of the service and a single salary scale which will recognise more adequately the responsibilities devolving upon headmasters of large primary schools. The payment of the teacher instead of the position will also remove much dissatisfaction. It will do away with the necessity of moving constantly in order to gam promotion and will make for greater stability of staffs. The propKJSa.l to make all appointments in the same month will also have the same effect. Most of these projected reforms have long been advocated by the New Zealand Educational Institute and the Minister on various occasions last year forecasted their inclusion in an amended Education Bill. The substitution of a classification list for the present grading list must be accepted with reserve until fuller details are known.

FULL OPINION DEFERRED. “Until the complete report is available concluded Mr Moore “I should prefer to reserve judgment on several of the recommendations made. The projected provision of intermediate schools designed to reveal aptitudes can however be accepted, and the steps proposed to form a national teaching service have my support.”