EDUCATION SYSTEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20563, 14 May 1930, Page 12

EDUCATION SYSTEM.

TIIE PROMISED CHANGES.

COMPLAINTS OF LONG DELAY.

REPLY BY THE MINISTER.

' " NOT A MINUTE WASTED."

[nv TELEGRAPH. —OWN COSEESPONRENT.] WELLINGTON, Tuesday.

A reply to criticism directed against liim in reference to his announcement of promised changes in the education system was made bv the Minister of Education, Hon. 11. At more, to-day when addressing Ihe annual conference of (he New Zealand Educational Institute. lie took exception to a motion passed at the conference yesterday afternoon calling the Minister's attention to the long delay in reorganising the system.

" I wish lo inform you that there has been no delay," declared Mr. Atmore. " When I took office I made a statement "that I expected to bo able to make a pronouncement. in regard lo the intentions of the new Government at a very early date, but I was asked by the New Zealand Educational Institute to defer making that announcement until later in the year. I was waited upon by representatives of various bodies, and it was suggested that if wo gave all thoso interested in education an opportunity of coming in touch with tho Minister wo would get a much better scheme of reorganisation. " Remit Quito Out of Order." Then, surely members of the conference are aware that last October in the House I asked Parliament to sanction a tour of a. Select Committee on education throughout New Zealand. Consequently it would ho quito impossible, even if I„woro inclined to do it, to make b pronouncement at present. It would be a breach of privilege. I took it that every teacher throughout New Zealand ■would have realised tho impossibility and therefore tho remit that was carried yesterday was quito out of order in my opinion. " If the suggestion is being made that I have-been loitering I want to tell you that I have visited 1600 out of 2600 primary school since I took office. I have been going day and night whenever I could leave Wellington. I want to assure you that I am just as interested in this work as you are. lam just as anxious to bring these much-needed reforms into practical operation as you are. 1 assert hero without fear of successful contradiction that there has not been a minute wasted. There wcro 3000 pages of shorthand notes, and it was necessary that they should lie transcribed. That work has been going on, and was only finished just before Easter." Question of Party Politics.

Mr. Atmoro said he wanted to emphasise. the fact that the committee had kept the consideratipn of the reorganisation of the system free of party politics, hut he was sorry he could not say the same of "National Education," tho journal of the institute. If they were to do their duty to the 276,000 girls and bo\'S in tho schools of tho Dominion it was necessary that they should-not make education the football of party politics. Mr. Atmoro said that he hoped by the end of tho present year to havo visited every primary school in tho Dominion, lie wanted tho new scheme of education to bo a national one and it was his aim in visiting the various districts to inculcate a national senso of looking at education. The Secondary Schools. Regarding the Education Committee's work, the Minister said he was not at liberty to disclose what decisions the committee had arrived at, but ho did not .think it would be a breach of privilege for him to tell them that the committee did consider the termination of the primary school course at the age of 11 plus. Another very important matter that wai) considered was that of tho unification of control. His experience gained as a result oP his travelling through the Do minion had more than ever convinced him that that was one of the steps that would Itave to be taken if they were going to develop a national sense of education.

The Minister did not believe the secondary schools in Now Zealand could maintain their place in the educational system if they retained their grammar school type. There was a demand to-day for technical education and the technical school to-day was the most dangerous rival to the old typo of grammar school. There was a consequent overlapping, ,v;hich was unnecessary and costlv.

Mr. Atmoro concluded by assuring the conference that he was the real head of the Education Department and that the officers of tho department were his advisors.

An announcement that the report of the commission which had been touring the country taking evidence in regard to education reorganisation was now almost ready, was made by Mr. A. Bell, assistant Director of Education, at the conference of the Education Institute. Mr. Dell said tho report was in draft forrn and only required to be revised before being completed. When the scheme was once established tho' cost would be jnnch greater than at present. The conference, after discussion, passed n remit advising that tho attention of tho Minister be directed to the delay in reorganising tho education system.