REPLIES TO CRITICS OF NEW' EDUCATION

Northern Advocate, 20 July 1949, Page 4

REPLIES TO CRITICS OF NEW' EDUCATION

AS always, when anything new appeared, there was violent criticism of modern education, Mr G. Aitken, an inspector of secondary schools, said when addressing the Whangarei Girls’ High School Parent-Teacher Association last night. The critics, the criticisms, and Mr Aitken’s answers to them are as follows:

UNIVERSITY AUTHORITIES: Insufficient time for preparation for university studies —the work of those who prepared for university entrance today was of a higher standard than it was 10 years ago. New Zealand secondary schools did not pretend to be university preparatory schools.

intense competition today for young workers, and vastly improved openings, shops and offices were not getting pupils’ of the same, calibre.

Educationists should welcome constructive criticism, which was better than blind praise, Mr Aitken said.

AIR FORCE OFFICERS: Some candidates for the service were unteaehable—Those offering for the entrance examination did not constitute a crosssection of the community. Many had drifted into labouring jobs for several years before sitting the tests and were ouL of touch with school work. TRADITIONALISTS: We have too many soft options—The present syllabus, catering for a wide range of aptitudes offered no soft options. Of the 8447 who sat the school certificate last year, 5362 chose history, 4767 geography, 4035 maths, 4027 a foreign language and 2887 chemistry. The school certificate was intended as a school leaving certificate—not as a preparation for university. There were 3500 candidates for university entrance. POLITICAL SOURCES: Propaganda in social studies—The Thomas report, on which the present syllabus was based, was prepared by a panel comprising educationists of highest probity.

There was need, however, for goodwill and understanding on the part of the general public towards education. This required knowledge of what was going on in the schools today.

"I wish more of our critics would come and see." he remarked.

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE: Entrants to clerking occupations were of poor calibre, and there had been a sad falling off in the teaching of spelling, arithmetic and writing—Employers were largely to blame, coaxing pupils away from school too short and often against the advice of teachers. With