SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 23 June 1943, Page 4

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

OVERHAUL OF SYLLABUS ABOLITION OF MATRICULATION RESULTS MAY BE REVOLUTIONARY ♦ From Our Parliamentary Reporter' Wellington, This Day. The secondary schools syllabus wa being completely overhauled by a strong committee of experts, stated the Minister of Education. Mr H. G R Mason, in the House of Representatives yesterday. He agreed with the inter jection of an Opposition member that results might easily be revolutionary in secondary education. Abolition of University Entrance or the Matriculation examination, said Mi Mason, might well prove to be the turning point in the history of New Zealand secondary schools. University requirement* for Matriculation had in effect completely controlled Ihe svs tern of education, and that had not been of advantage. “Secondary schools," declared the Minister, “have been placed in fetters by the necessity of having regard to the Matriculation examination, but this i« being abolished in favour of accredit mg and this new system will come into operation within a year.” The change enabled the syllabus of secondary schools to be overhauled, added Mr Mason, and the committee had already completed revision of the arithmetic syllabus, while another com mittee was dealing with health education. Other subjects would be taken in turn until the whole syllabus of secondary and high schools would take advantage of a wider and more varied range of activities, and he regarded it as one of the most interesting and aig nifleant developments in the educations' system that had occurred for a generr tion. MORE VARIED EDUCATION Mr F. W. Doidge (Nat.. Tauranf*); Does this mean new educational objectives? The Minister replied that a more varied syllabus would mean that pupils would not be limited to a form of edu cation designed to help them into university, when in actuality ihey were not all going there. Secondary school education would have a more realistic element. The committee of revision w as a strong one and he would be disap pointed if results failed to show a distinct improvement. Mr Doidge: It might be a revolution. The Minister: Yes, I do not disguise the fact that people might use their liberty to make the position worse, but the committee is broad minded and I shall be disappointed if results are not excellent Replying to a question, Mr Mason stated that there would be an Education Bill this session to raise the schoolleaving age to 15. There was power to do so by regulation, but that was based on a statute 20 years old. He thought that while New Zealand had been ve-y progressive in its educational system it had in some respects lagged behind.