RURAL EDUCATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20071, 8 October 1928, Page 11

RURAL EDUCATION.

NEED OF IMPROVEMENT. SCHOOL A SOCIAL CENTRE. THE CONSOLIDATION PRINCIPLE. Stating that if rural education received the consideration due to it the education problem in New Zealand would be in a large degree solved, and a healthy reaction upon rural settlement would result, Mr. 11. J. Sinclair, of Christchurch,. discusses the subject in an article in the current number of National Education, the journal of the New Zealand Educational Institute. The writer states: —"The system of education in New Zealand is based upon the Education Act of 1877, which founded a co-ordinated scheme of schooling for the whole country. Since 1877 there have been a • few alterations and amendments the Act, but as far as I have been able to ascertain there has been no special reference made nor any systematic inquiry into tho system as affecting rural scholars. Country schools have the same curriculum, the same inspectorial system, the same examination as town schools and they arc even staffed by teachers who receive their training in a town training college. "In most of our rural districts there is no provision made in any form for the better employment of leisure hours. In a few districts there are such institutions as tennis, football and hockey clubs; but there are on the whole no such pleasures and amusements as are found in our towns. Just as there is no incentive for the teacher to stay in the country, so is there no incentive for any adult to stay there. The school should be tho meeting place of various clubs of the district." Classes of Rural Schools.

Mr. Sinclair divides the rural schools into three classes for organisation purposes, as follow:—(1) In districts where (a) there is one large country school with or without a number of small country schools within a few miles radius, or (b) there are several small schools which could be consolidated into one large one; (2) in districts where the schools are so far scattered that they could not easily be consolidated; (3) in remote districts where there are only a very few children of school age. Referring to the first type the writer states: —"In districts of the first kind, where consolidation is practicable, oi where there is a large school already established, the school could quite easdy be an attractive centre of the surrounding district if the smaller schools were consolidated into one. The organisation could be along the lines of that already suggested where the community hall is the school hall, the schoolrooms district clubrooms, the school workshop the community workshop, and the school library easily accessible to children. The schools could easily be the athletic and sports centre, and teams belonging to the district could equally well use the school ground as the public recreation ground for practices." The " Family Schools." "In the case of the second typo a centrally-situated school could be chosen as the central school. On this central school would depend as many locally independent schools as there are districts. Instead of each school having a separate teacher, who is usually the head teacher, there would be only one heiadmaster for the whole group of schools, the headmaster of the central schipol being the headmaster of the whole group. It would ! be this headmaster's duty to visit each school in turn and give to each teacher that expert guidance which the town teacher can receive. "For the third there should be some adaptation-of what are generally known as 'family schools.' I would urge the establishment of family schools which need not have a permanent teacher. They would have instead an itinerant one who carried school equipment with him. He would need a travelling van of some description in which he would have a well stocked library of reference and reading books, text books on various subjects, geographical and historical equipment and suitable material that the child needs for each subject. In addition ho would have sets of project work for different classes in different subjects."