BRITISH ASSOCIATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12415, 10 November 1903, Page 6

BRITISH ASSOCIATION.

IMPRESSIONS OF A NEW ■' ZEALANDER. THE EDUCATION SECTION". ' Ix an article in the Christchnrch Press R. M. Latng, a member of the staff "of J' Christchurch Roys* High School, now b a ft * lough, describes the British Association recent annual meeting, at which he »_ present. u " irj» present. • Speaking of the sectional meetings i, says there was but little in them of 4sJ public interest apart from the fiscal L," tiou. As Might have been expected from the nature of the gathering, the opi D i oa , on this subject were largely of an a«j - type, and there was a feeling abroad S the debate would have been of greater ' terest had a number of manufacturers b»*" asked to assist at it. Manchester being ■» near, this might perhaps have been easil arranged. - : '

The other section in which public in terest was chiefly centred was the eduea' tional one. This, though the youngest o? them all, is one of the most pop D l ar the general public, The subjects discussM were of the usual type. Papers on curricuk influence of examination, and the teachh* of elementary science, offered scope * 0 ? many differences of opinion. A circif had been issued to lie members oft]/ •■' headmasters' conference and other heads I schools in order to obtain opinions on to ' question or examinations from those b4i qualified to judge of their effects. Jv first question was, Do examinations tend to direct the teaching along reasoaable lia K or do they interfere with the liberty of action of schools, and check the develop ment of individuality, and the power of independent thought? Most, of those an swering thought that there were evils at* tending examinations, but took the view tint in some form they were necessary. ft was also pointed out that there had been a marked tendency to improve the methods of examinations in recent years, thonc-h there was still much room for further im. provement. ' It may be useful to state one or two of the suggestions made and opinions offered(l) Examinations should be better co-ordi'. nated with th« teaching. (2) External ex' animations are carried to a wasteful and mischievous excess. (3) The schemes of examination are arbitrary, conflicting, and - :] needlessly inelastic, and what a 'hotchpotch resulted from the place given to" Paley, Jevous, the Greek Testament, andtrigonometry at Cambridge; to mechanics and science at London; to historv and English at Victoria University. (4) fcxanii. nation of the schools in classical and ling. lish subjects which was mainly done by tie universities, was done badly." (5) Scholarship examinations bring irresistible pressure to bear hi favour of early and injudicious specialisation. The general trend of opinion seemed to be that the teacher should be made more and more responsible for examinations, and thai the examiner should be something of an inspector, and the inspector something of aa examiner.

Mr. Laing took part in some of the excursions connected with the gathering. The members of the association were shown over the Municipal School of Technology, perhaps the finest institution of the "kind in England. Here an attempt is made to give training in science as applied to the art and manufactures that flourish in the neighbourhood of Manchester. No expense has been spared to make the institution complete. The chief forms of machinery used in the •textile industries are well represented, and the technical chemistry of bleaching, dyeing, printing, paper-making, and brewing, » taught. There seems to be wanting only one element of success, and that is that hitherto there has been a" lack of day students, though the school is well patronised at night. There is a complaint, too, that of the students who have presented themselves for admission a large proportion, though coming from secondary schools with a good name, have had to be rejected o'saccount of poorness of preparation. Diplomas are given to those day students who satisfactorily complete a three years' course in any one of the following departments :~fl} Mechanical engineering, (2) electrical eagineering, (3) municipal and sanitary engineering, (4) general and industrial chemistry in various branches, (5) manufacture of textiles, (6) photography and printing crafts, (7) architecture of the building trades. Had institutions such as this flourished in England during the past 20 years, the country would, perhaps, have not been now left lamenting. „,;;