EDUCATIONAL REFORM.

Northern Advocate, 1 October 1918, Page 3

EDUCATIONAL REFORM.

A FORTHCOMING LECTURE

It is announced that Mr E. U. Just, organising secretary of the New Zealand Educational Institute, will give an address to the public of Whangarei on the subject of Educational Reform. The impression is general that the chief aim of the N.Z.E.I. is to increase the salaries of teachers. Ie is pleasant to note that though an increased scale of pay would doubtless be welcomed by the members of an admittedly poorly paid profession in this instance, this subject is not put forward as of first importance. The members of the Institute know and feel more than most people the heavy handicap that is laid upon their work of educating the youth of this Dominion. While some years ago New Zealand was well to the fore in its system of education, in later times we have fallen behind what other countries are doing in this important matter. The chief requirements to be attended to first are larger and more suitable buildings. In a great number of schools there is not sufficient accommodation for the children attending. The amount of room allotted by the Departmental regulations to each child is ten square feet of iioor space. In many schools the allowance is far short of that. It is also considered that in the warmer climate of the North 10 square feet is not enough. Better and more suitable buildings .ire also required in many places. These conditions are detrimental to the health of pupils and to their ability to learn and to study as well as to the discipline necessary for the proper performance of the duties of both pupils and teachers. In most of the large schools the classes are too large. No teacher can teach more than 40 children and do their ability and his own justice. In. many schools teachers have to work classes of GO to SO and sometimes oven 100.

Now these improvements require more and larger buildings and more teachers and this means more money. The Minister of Education admits that he has not the means to carry put the reforms he is anxious to make and that a larger vote will be needed for educational purposes. Our members of Parliament have hitherto been afraid to vote as large a sum as would be necessary to effect these improvments. The object of these meetings and therefore of Mr Just's visit is to get the peonle interested in this matter so that their representatives in Wellington will, when they see that their constituents are in earnest, not be only ready to support the Government proposals for a large increase in the education vote but to bring pressure to bear in order that the demands made by the people may be given effect to. It is hoped that a large number of parents and others interested in this important subject will be present to support Mr Just and the N.Z.E.I. in their endeavours to obtain, .reforms which are so urgently needed if our educational system is to record with the advances beino; made in other countries. New Zenlnnd was once able to point with pride to its system of education, free, secular, and compulsory. It is a matter for regret that we cannot do so now and that attempts are being made to destroy it.

The Hon Geo. Fowlds is announced to speak on Friday next on post-war conditions and reconstruction 'matters in that connection. As reforms and improvements in education will be one of the most important matters to be dealt with in any scheme of .improvement or reconstruction to. meet post-war conditions, Mr Fowlds will most probably be having something very interesting to say on this subject.