EDUCATION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 11 April 1922, Page 5

EDUCATION

. THE NEW SCHEME (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, This .Day. The Minister for Education 'furnished ,u preliminary report of the results of the conference held to consider the question o(, primary and post-primary education. The conference unanimously approved of the proposal that the primary school course should be shortened to about six years, and that this should be followed by a three years’ junior high school course, and that pupils proceeding beyond tins course should take up a, senior high school course for h further three years. Other resolutions. carried wore: That the primary course should be determined by an attainment Hint can reasonably be expected of pupils, who have completed their twelfth year; that junior high schools where established should ho (separate educational units; that where a junior high school is established it (shall not form part of a secondary or technical school (Pour of the members of , the conference held an i opposite view, namely, that the junior high school should be considered as ■part of the technical or secondary school, with a six-year course); that in general about three-fifths of the junior ; high school course bo common to all pupils. The course should include English, arithmetic, geography, history ami civics, elementary and general science, drawing and practical geometry, craftwork, singing, physical training, Sind health instruction; that each junior high . school should provide as tar as possible, for the following courses: Acaileri'iic, commercial, industrial (including a domestic course for. girls), agricultural, and art; that French should bo the first foreign language studied; that Latin, if taken, should not be commenced until the second year; that towards the completion of the primary course a consultation between parents, Teacher, and inspector be Held to coneider which of the \courses the pupil should in the first distance undertake; that pending elaboration and adoption of the complete scheme for the.whole Dominion steps be taken to experiment in three types of post-primary courses—(a) one junior high school in one of Hie four chief centres, (b) in a town m which all post-primary pupils should bo taken for the three years junior high school course, (c) in a country district in which the post-primary pupils'of a number of small schools couicl bo provided for in a district hign school with a junior high school course; that no class in a junior high school