GAMES IN THE SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18533, 18 October 1923, Page 10

GAMES IN THE SCHOOLS.

POLICY OF THE DEPARTMENT. j REPLY TO CRITICISM. [BY TELEGRAPH.OWN CORRESPONDENT.] I CHEISTCHURCH. Wednesday. The Director of Education, Mr. J. I Canghley, yesterday denied tho statement I made recently that the department had ignored all the work of teachers who spent time and labour in the encouragement of I school games. Such valuable work, he ! said, was fully recognised by the department and by the inspectors in their grading of the teachers, and special provision as made in the grading scheme to re'ward teachers who took an active part jin school games. The department also : repudiated the statement that it considered the trainer of an arithmetician as a better teacher than one who was developing character by means of manly games. Surely the good teacher, he said, could do both. They wero not alternative or incompatible forms of training. The majority of teachers would recognise the absurdity and incorrectness of the statement evidently emanating from a few dissatisfied members of the profession. These few would probably need to look in some other direction to find why they were not highly graded. The director concluded by stating that there was no hampering of schools' games by red tape, as it was the policy of the department to recognise sports in every reasonable way. "It is remarkable," added tho director, "that no complaint has been made to the department concerning the alleged discouragement of school games." ,