Smaller Class Need In Dominion Education

Northern Advocate, 10 May 1939, Page 11

Smaller Class Need In Dominion Education

[ per Press Association. Copyright.! WELLINGTON, This Day. The headmaster of the Foxton District High School, Mr. T. Kane, in his presidential address to the conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute. expressed the opinion of the nccosisly for smaller classes in primary schools. He said th.it if they were to be influenced by tlie writings of research workers and the utterances of profound. thinkers overseas, they would bo forced to conclude that real progress could not be assured until classes were still further reduced in size.

In New Zealand there should soon be enough teachers to permit of more liberal staffing, taut teachers would like to feel confident that the supply of classrooms would keep pace with the number of teachers.

“When schools arc adequately staffed,” continued Mr, Kane, “we will be able to enter upon a new era of reorganisation. Consideration will necesasrily be given to suitable technique, to the place of specialist teaching- to extension of the modifies-

tion of programes, and to the advisability of various types of grouping. But. in urging experimentation, modification of the curriculum, extension of freedom, and the like, at present wo are running the risk of sacrificing efficiency tor ideals “