CLASSES TOO LARGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18742, 23 June 1924, Page 9

CLASSES TOO LARGE.

PUBLIC SCHOOL PROBLEM. GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT. MAXIMUM OF FORTY. TBI \ TELEGRAPH.— CORRESPONDENT.] . WELLINGTON. Saturday. "A census .of the Auckland schools shows that in grades 5, 6, and 7, out of ,a, total; of • 756 ; classes, there are 184 each having over 60 pupils," said the Hon. r C. ;J; Parr,;; Minister for Education,fat the Council of Education yesterday. '• In; other words," he went on, "about 25 per cent, of the classes are too large for satisfactory instruction. ; While I stress the evil of ; the large class, we may also claim a great improvement in recent years in the matter. _ When I was chairman of the Auckland Education Board :it was a common thing to find schools with over 100 pupils in a:. class. To-day: I hardly know of one such institution." ■■•.' The increased output from the training . colleges . had enabled the : department materially to increase the supply of assistant teachers, said Mr. Parr, and this had reduced the size of classes, but they were still far from attaining the ideal. While no system of national education could. at present finance single classes of 20 :or 25 pupils, he thought they should aim at classes of 40 or thereabouts.'- That question should take precedence of all Others.' • '■': ;;.' '■: '/.;,::•''',- .'.-:.*■ '

Tho Minister said he was having an investigation made of all schools where the large.class obtained. He did not think there was a shortage of teachers. • Recently, the . department had distributed 300 extra "assistants all over New Zealand. : Probably more classrooms were required in schools, where the district was a growing one. and this year it was proposed to give some accommodation in these cases. He thought at least one-quarter of the large classes were due to internal organisation.:.'■... -~ An attempt would be made . to reduce classes over 60 by one-third in the coming year, and. by keeping on, in three years they should surely reduce, if not eliminate the evil. , . .-.■■-■.'-.-'/' /•■■ - ' ;■'. ' m Speaking in regard to the teaching of history, . Mr. ■'• Parr said that .in future* written questions would be set by the inspectors instead of the mere oral examination which now took place. That fact, however, would not accomplish much unless the teachers were seized;, with the importance of the subject, and were able to teach it so as to inculcate a love of history in the children. He proposed shortly to set up a small committee to advise as to what practical steps could be taken to improve the subject. : --..'. '