THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20302, 9 July 1929, Page 12

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

UNIFICATION OF CONTROL.

CONFERENCE AT EARLY DATE

OBJECTIVES OF THE MINISTER

[BY TELEGIIAI'H. —SPECIAL IiEI'OJtTER. ] WIiLLIXGTOX. Monday.

"There will bo no unavoidable delay in calling a conference of all the controlling educational bodies, tho status of which will be affected by the unification of contiol scheme," said tho Minister of Education, the Hon. H. Atrnore. to-day when the recent comment on tho delay in making a pronouncement was referred to him. Mr. Atrnore, who is also Minister-in-Chargo of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, said his chief attention had recently been diverted to matters connected with the earthquake and he was shortly calling a conference to discuss future building safeguards However, at the earliest convenient moment ho would convene a meeting in Wellington of the various educational controlling authorities to ascertain their views on unification.

Tho education boards, which had recently met in conference in Wellington, had favoured tho proposal, but desired first to hold meetings in each education board district of the various boards, primary, secondary and technical, which would be affected. The Minister said ho had suggested that a better course would be to have one meeting of those bodies in Wellington, and lie had made it clear that he regarded such a conference as valuable to him in formulating suggestions. Prevention of Overlapping.

Tho Minister believed that a system of unification would prevent tha overlapping that was at present 'evident, partly duo to tho rivalry between secondary and technical schools, to i secure pupils. Ho made it clear that ho believed in board control, but not in splitting up among a number of boards the functions that could well be managed by one board. The Minister also believes the system of unification lie has in mind would result in saving money; indeed, tho only additional expenditure lie foresaw in his proposals for educational reform related to the move to reduce the size of classes. As far as control was concerned, ho was aiming at a system under which there would be one board for a determined district. Whether those districts should be approximately tho same as tho present education board districts he was not yet prepared to say. Mr. Atmoro expressed pleasure at the views expressed by the recent conferences of teachers, primary, secondary and technical, in Wellington. It was only half doing the task to bring about unified control if tho teachers' organisations remained separate and watertight, aud tho views expressed at the teachers' conferences were most favourable to unification. Assisting a Child's Aptitude. Broadly, the Minister's policy will be directed toward correcting the habit of looking at education in a sectional way. Education was a continuous process. He also believed that by terminating '.lie primary course at 11 years of age, or roughly standard four, a much better opportunity would be provided of discovering tho child's natural aptitude. A boy of 11 was usually full of originality and desired to do something, but if ho were compelled to run through an academic course for three or four years after the primary stage a 6ort of artificial nature was superimposed on him and lie was almost pertain to seek a clerkship or soino professional career,, when liis real natural bent might lie in a totally different direction. Mr. Atmoro believes that for too long mass education methods have, been employed in New Zealand and he is seeking to introduce a system better suited to the peculiar needs of New Zealand. For instance, he did not hold with the view that the teaching of French was necessarily valuable to a New Zealand child in order to give mental discipline. The Minister thought that a knowledge of Maori would be more valuable and would achieve the same disciplinary result. * Practical System Essential. For 98 per cent, of tho pupils education was a means of earning a livelihood later, and tho time had passed when many people learned such subjects as French for purely cultural purposes. New Zealand wanted a system that was essentially practical—a system that met agricultural, commercial and industrial requirements. The mind could be trained by dealing with things as well as with ideas, and cultural training and practical training should go liancl-in-hand. Mr. Atmoro also bqlieved a certain amount of snobbery had been caused by contrasting tho secondary high school with the technical school. lie was very interested in the New Plymouth scheme, whereby tho two institutions' had been amalgamated, thus preventing the overlapping that had gone on by one school endeavouring to meet some of the educational requirements offered by tho other. It was significant that a strong movo for unification on the lines ho had m mind should have como from tho Taranaki Education Board, the one body omitted from the local scheme of unified control in force there.