STANDARDISED BOOKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18296, 12 January 1923, Page 8

STANDARDISED BOOKS.

PROBLEM FOR SCHOOLS.

STEP, TOWARD SOLUTION.

MEASURES BY DEPARTMENT. [BY TELEGBArir.— CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Thursday. The problem of standarding school books to save parents expense has been engaging the attention of the Minister for Education, the Hon. C. J. Parr, and his officers lately. Too many different text-books have been found to be in use for the one subject- in different schools. The trouble has been particularly markedin the secondary schools, where some 51 different text-books have been in use for the teaching of Latin. The Minister recognises that this sort of thing is a source of needless expense. He stated to-day that the department had revised the list of books for use in secondary schools, and had reduced it very considerably. The department was now consulting with university professors and the principals of important schools with the object of effecting a further reduction. • The list of text-books for the teaching of Latin, grammar and composition has been brought down from 51 to 11. After a standard. list has been agreed upon as the result of the consultations in progress it will receive the Minister's approval. Pupils will not be required to obtain books which do not appear upon it. The Minister hopes that the list- will be ready in time for parents to have the benefit this year of the savings it- should effect. The school libraries can be used to provide variety where variety is desirable. By a process somewhat similar to that- ifoliowed in regard to secondary school}} books, it is hoped to achieve standardisation of the primary school text-books. A conference will be held on the subject, and eventually an authorised list will appear.