WRITING IN SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18354, 21 March 1923, Page 9

WRITING IN SCHOOLS.

THE VOGUE OF "PRINTING."

SANCTIONED BY INSPECTORS

The complaint that hand-printing is being taught in certain Auckland schools instead of handwriting, made by " Onuhunga Parent " in yesterday's Heb\ld, was referred to tho secretary of the Education Board, Mr. E. C. Purdie, with an j inquiry as to whether this substitution of printing for writing was made with the knowledge or sanction of the board. Mr. Purdie stated that the matter was outside the jurisdiction of the board, which had no authority to instruct the inspectors either to start such a system or to discontinue it. From inquiries made among teachers there was no doubt that printing was supplanting handwriting in several Auckland schools, and as this had been going on for more than a year it had evidently been adopted by a considerable number of teachers, and at least countenanced by inspectors. A reference to the school syllabus showed that no mention is made therein as to the style of lettering to be adopted in teaching writing, and quite possibly an interpretation may have been made that printing and writing are the same thing Be this as it may, there is no doubt a large number of children are now learning to write in block capitals, which, although it may make for legibility in their adult handwriting, cannot possess the same individuality or give the same indication of character to bo found in ordinary handwriting.