RURAL SCHOOLS

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9096, 15 July 1915, Page 4

RURAL SCHOOLS

A CONSIDERATION OF EXISTING DRAWBACKS. Some remarks as to the deficiencies in country ■ education we^e-made by Mr A. Erskine in his presidential address before the Now Zealand Educational Institute on Tuesday evening. The rural communities, he pointed out, had often to be content with the services of teachers who were not competent to carry out the duties required of them. Although there were many excellent small schools in country districts and many capable and efficient teachers spending their lives in them, the fact remained that upwards of 700 teachers out of a total of 1318 (were entirely without academic or professional training. The training colleges should, in theory, furnish trained teachers for all schools.. Practically they had been unable to do so up to the present. Various' efforts had been made during the past few years to improve the management and standard of attainment of the country school. For example, several education boards had employed organising inspectors. experienced in rural school work, to pay regular visits and to give teachers the benefit of their advice and assistance. Doubtless, where these had been employed considerable improvement had been the result. The training college, might help by keeping in close touch with those or its graduates who found their way into the small schools. Another all-im-portant factor in the improvement, of the country school should h e tho library. The speaker gave examples of the development of a scheme of rural libraries in America. The main drawbacks to the improvement education in the, small schools were:— Difficulty of retaining services of competent teachers; too frCquent change Of teachers; the retaining of the services of Incompetent teachers; the indifference of the community to the cause of education; aml low salaries. What was the remedy for these drawbacks? The answer appeared to be consolidation of rural schools wherever possible. Consolidation proposed nothing more nor less -than, the creation, for country school children of as good schools for their needs as city children now enjoyed. The ideal plan contemplated the abandonment of numbers of small and often inefficient schools and the establishment in lieu thereof o? a much smaller number of centrally situated, strong, well-graded schools, to which might or might, not bo attached' a partial or complete secondary department. Consolidation had had a striking growth in the United States, and the rural community fully appreciated the value of the training in a central school. Experience had shown that this scheme, connected with which there was a system of conveying the children to and from school, was the most satisfactory plan. The result of the working of the scheme was that it ensured better and fewer teachers, better classification of pupils, a quickening of public interest in the schools, better health in the children, and more pupils for the individual child to associate with, and larger' and more interesting classes. There were many, districts m New Zealand where the principle should meet with a large amount of success. Mr Erskine emphasised the importance of the idea as affecting the opportunity for imparting specialised instruction in agriculture. The usefulness of a central school should not cease at the close of the school day.' Such a school should become the centre of the social life of the community. Questions might- be raised as to tbe expense of the suggested system, but it could do no harm-to inquire into rural education in other countries, and possibly make as much progress in this division Of elementary education as in other branches. T-n moving a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Erskine for his address, Mr J. Caughley. M.A. (North Canterbury), suggested that an excellent subject for discussion had been opened up. , Dr Anderson (Director of Education) said that the Department was all along in sympathy with any movement in the direction of the consolidation of schools; but it was necessary to cultivate public opinion, which had hitherto been an insuperable obstacle.