INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23277, 21 February 1939, Page 13

INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS

Sir.—A statement regarding intermediate education made by Mr. Park, principal of the Seddon Memorial Technical College, appears in Friday's Hkrai.w. Under the heading, "Technical Education," Mr. Park is reported as having stated that a system of intermediate schools was, in his opinion, not correct, the tendency in such schools being to direct the more capable people to the professions. Such a statement cannot be allowed to go unchallenged, and I should like to know what proof Mr. Pai'k has to support his contention. The aim of the intermediate school is to discover the interests of the children, explore their aptitudes, awaken an early interest in the work they must some day take up, and guide them without bias along the educational avenues leading to that work or further preparations therefore, taking care that the cultural side of education is given due weight.

In all intermediate school activities the pupils are guided by their own interests and bents, and it is difficult to see where any tendency to divert them to professions, can creep in. We have found the tendency to be entirely in the opposite direction. At Kowhai, alter a year of exploratory courses, the children are classified into "Generals" and "Moderns" according to their future intentions. As a result, wo get ;wo forms of generals heading for the professions and seven forms of moderns heading for a technical education or practical occupations. Is this undue diversion to professions? Then, again, after a try-out in academic subjects last year, only 87 out of 231 scholars in our five top forms chose to follow the second year general course leading to professional careers or a general education. The actual evidence, therefore, is that the intermediate school has an effect exactly opposite to that claimed by Mr. Park, in that, after a year's try-out, the majority of the more capable children give up all intention of preparing for a professional career. J. F. Wells, Principal. Kowhai Intermediate School.