EDUCATION AT THE CAPE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVIII, Issue 152, 28 June 1883, Page 6

EDUCATION AT THE CAPE.

Mr Donald Ross, M.A., in his official report on education at Cape Colony, complaios iniicli of the defective egV- c cation of tea<ch'ers. Mr Boss, says : "To give* soroe idea of the vagueness ami inaceura-cy that appeared in the elementary teachers* examination, I will quote a .few of the answers givlen by the candidates that failed, some' of which were written by young men and women whb in their own opinions w^ro .qualified to teach in Government schools. Sotno of them hkd actuall v passed before, aud only came forward to secure a higher place oh the lrst, I or get into a higher class." The following are some, extracts from iiis specimens of answers :>— . ... In geography, o'n^ candidate .ties. cribes London ." with a population estimating over a hundred million;" another gives it at 30,000; a third gives 120,000,000' as the correct figure ; a fourth U iinder the impression ttiat "about 30G0 " is correct ; a fifth go'es to " 300,000 ;" a sixth . supposes that Manchester has 200j000,000 ; WolveW himptdh' receives 569 inhabitants i':- .. Sheffield, j3o(j.; aptl '"' aijd Holland j with a .population of i6,000.' When tasked to liame and describe \i le harbours of So tith Africa, one' candidate curtly replies^ . " Africa .is not in : >vabt of haebonrs " AH- that another koo\ rs i of the wiue trade of the: Cape is that "the i wine '<>f .the j Cape Colony' is .jusfcilike ; others in shape ikjSmeil";' \yhiie a third describes the: driver system of Nor i ;h 'America. -They run parallel along the ■'.coadl;; 1 ' \\ ' ' •'- ' .: : ;• il "" ' . In schLobl management )^s fa least vagueness. One candidate states that "Kindergarten , was, greatjy defeated, and his, army fledjsiidjie was ■ killed." Another writes-':- *.| ha^e seißn :Kin'dergarten \Writtaii above ia door "in some house i a Cape To\irL but, unfortanateiy/ ; that is all," ; In describihg a; g«6d Jmethod -of teadhJn^ penmanship, this jjs<'wji*t one ■ cmcAlldate writes :/> Thfs,,>e^erjci^e' ; , t wntj(D|g necessary, fibeflauss doesjiot; ; make qn© to think; Thebest rasthod is torholding/yotir peti^nd keep; Ih6 ; copybook write. : B«d'as.-the^i;e- J oit>i'h«'iieja>'itoi the bad of Ibeipaper/ and the thickrieas i . ; of the inrords : — \\ !! I l " <{"*}■■ -H. li '^fui in : aritb- : f metjc. i-.'-r-..-;- -. .-, ■'"'■; ",'",'■""■'• ' "(6) It is useful in^ grammar.' . i " (c) tt^is usefttlin geo'graphy. : « When ifce^chii^r.en'^r.e/speUeil wrong a word yoai-must right •on th 3 board'. : ' ••-. ' , ; '.--v ■' - ••"■■ •• •■■■: : - 1 r ',(e) It is useful . in, drawing, m^sis and put 'before {the : cjiildr.en« •"'',..;■ .'.'■"' One 'writes : *' Corporal punishment is to forgive ;liim tkree or four ! times w,hen .he does wrong, when he^ doeb not leav;© pfifito :i expelled : him.". Ant Mother states that "in- teaching yon .must not use stich upon sdhqlars." Jl Jtljira slates tliat "cpVppuai punishment Should be used when corporal /fauJtß | .are made." Their kriowledgetbroughjj out is most meagre; ri 'Electricity - :of . tliei.i.samein^atjftre; ,the Lonl'y erence ;beingiT -that .lightening, (iis ofifcea several -miles ih ! tehgthj'-^iiili ■^cjricity is tyss a^r!in6hßsl''^]Eiec ■ ■ r trieity,' t say a \\ a , i V isi *JL%9. i>.fibit idiesoribedibjr the flurfrbdnd t^e earth , ■, 1 but', in reßfli^;ttt(? r) «aßh rolina Ithesuni." Qth|r. ; bc»(|y asijiujpk.^/tbe^jgbt^mpgl' One candidatexibnaiderajtbabai^ sailing; ; :vfessbl ?f i^;p;rope;lied^thrbu^li'^tie Mtfef 9 «coftd gtj?Bjfe^ ; ;ansl janoti^er ; is.p 7 opinion that a sailing vessel is propelled 'ihrough'th'e. water By a^am-ebgin'ejii I ribur^^tiio^W^i^^^^^nirth > .thinks . ;.«,it is Jby.a.eejrtain, kiqtr<p ? .strinff." :*f,A steamer r ciit; or part i im : water aside ; but w ; ith a sailing vessel it is not theca^B f^it Ml lip^and 0&A 'oaif^^as^^d^l^^ Her^vis; the iveraioniof.'the lawr of Jgr&vUatioii ! given: in neatlf ih& 6ame form bv ■^e-yeral'canai^tes., I<<J :If 't>e.[^H w^ • .jo have no gravity, antl if we {'[, climbed to the top :©f a bill and jumped:' Alliti^c above the topy wa would sfcidb fast in the 1 air, an^thu^ thj^Wdul^' be ftti en'd( to our existence"; ofif'th'e^S-'waa'nc gravity, then some of the furniture in par rhouses would hec^bpVe ihe [floor of the house ; and thus if we l«t a thing fkll it would vtbt Ml to'the groundi'but! i 'stick just; ip ;the place" whOTe'it fell 1 out ; of. our ha'n^,' I '' .. '■ '.',;"'':' . .'"' .' }