ARTS AND CRAFTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10897, 11 May 1921, Page 10

ARTS AND CRAFTS

TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY EXPERT'S VIEWS ON ECONOMY AND OTHER MATTERS. IS REFORM NEEDED? Addressing the director® of technical education who assembled in conference in Wellington yesterday. Hr G. L. Park the retiring president, said: —“Two years ago the National Efficiency Board conferred with and we were told how almost every problem of tho board resolved itself in the long run into one of education. If national efficiency is to be increased and our statesmen consider the facts making for permanent efficiency, our education system, must come under review first of ail. is our education system good enough, for a young and vigorous community with a standard of comfort that ranks among the highest in the world? I think not, and I think further that without the beet system of education we not only for* to take a long period view of the measures necessary for national efficiency, but we neglect to insure against social upheavals against constant industrial strife and possible revolution, which in the long ran cost industry immeasurably greater loss than the best possible system a of schools. Economy in education may easily become the most foolish of policies iu a national reorganisation. “It is generally admitted that the main defects in our education are to be found in the upper divisions of the 1 primary schools and in our secondary schools. Here our educationists have recently come to an agreement that an entirely new scheme is necessary to provide for a proper continuity of out educational work, and the Minister has Undertaken: the preliminary stopfe to carry ont a scheme of reorganising the post-primary work along the lines followed in almost every other country. This change, it is claimed by the department’s experts, can. be carried out at no great cost. But given a good primary system, no one will clbim that a course which ends at fourteen will fit a young New Zealander for the battle of life in time* when efficiency i* essential THE) PRESENT POSITION. "The fundamental task of the teachor is to train his pupils to think, and to think logically. At fourteen years of ago a pupil is only at the beginning of the development of powers of logical thought, and two further years should be the minimum insisted on in our schools. What is the present position ? According to the Education Department's figures for 1919 out of every 100 children in the primary school 39 leave without reaching Standard VI. Of the remaining 61 who reach Standard VI. 38' go on to a secondary day school, but a quarter of these remain. for but one year only Therefore, of the original 100, 29 receive a second year’s course, and a further seven go out at the end of the second year, leaving only 22 of the original 100, who reach the minimum of education essential if the pupils* mental powers are to be capable of carrying them through life as intelligent citizens. Our education system is therefore 22 per cent effective. In a young country such as ours, where there is the possibility of creating a nation of the greatest vigoux and highest efficiency, it is remarkable that such a position has been tolerated. "In order to prevent the great leakageof pupils in the upper grades of the primary schools and in the secondary schools, it is agreed that a new system of junior high or vocational schools should be established, and the Minister has stated his intention to proceed with this reorganisation. The object of the reorganisation is to provide a greater variety in the subjects of the schools than exists .at present. In technical schools especially there is a bias towards vocational work, and it is frequently noted that vocational work will call into th,e fullest play the highest activities of mind of which a child is capable, whereas theory work fails to do so. But it is English and arithmetic that mainly provide the tests used in awarding; pro■cienov certificates, and English and arithmetic, therefore, nrovide the greater portion of the work in the upper divisions of the primary schools. Yet the minds of many of onr young people (I estimate 40 per cent.) are each that they lack the capability to deal with problems of pure theory at the age when they are in Standards V. and VI.

TURNING EXPERIENCE TO ACCOUNT.

“After a long experience of vocational work. I believe that at least a third ol the work of the higher classes of the primary 'schools should he handwork. The fact that pupils who failed at school have so often succeeded in life seems to me to be hut another indication that onr school-work Un fort u n ately differs from that of the world, even as the theory ooorses differ from the vocational. I feel, therefore, that a large proportion of onr pupils fail to benefit by the present primary school syllabus after the purely mechanical stage is finished and the reasoning stage has begun. These soon drift out of the schools and provide the community with most of its social problems and dangers. Were they saved for further training, as I believe a large proportion of them would be by a reorganised set of higher schools, thero is little doubt that we should create in cur oitizens that solidity, that temperate judgment so necessary for sound progress.

“I therefore wish to make the point that the experience gained in technical education can be turned to valuable account in redrafting of the primary syllabus _ when the new system of schools is established. And I believe that our advocacy of vocational work should not be based upon the necessity of creating skilled artisans whose hand and eye is in thorough co-ordination, for the machine-tool has largely removed the need for these. Neither should we stress the fact that vocational work provides the concrete upon which the abstract edifice should be built, and that through vocational work not only will the intellect be developed, but there will be a great strengthening of the will, of pride in work, of. all those faculties that make up character. NATIONAL EFFICIENCY. “I trust you will forgive me for taking np so much of your time with this discourse. I feel, however, that it is our duty to focus public attention upon the defeots in onr system, and to stress the point that the injury caused by educational defects can never be overtaken or removed. The children continue to grow np, their development has been imperfect, and the national efficiency is permanently lowered. If such mistakes are not to_ be repeated, we must endeavour to maintain the present scale of educational effort. If this is to be done we must organise, and organisation must begin with the teachers. I think the time has arrived when a National Union of Teachers should be created; a special National Fund contributed to by every one of the 4000 teaohers should be raised, and a permanent executive appointed. “Next to self-preservation the nation should pursue national efficiency. , Selfpreservation has caused us to place upon posterity burdens other ages have not conceived. If the hearing of these burdens is not to lower the standard of our ■ •lyiliaaWm. posterity must be endowed with greater productive powers, and now, of all times, efficiency in education w the primary need of n oommnnitv that is in earnest about its future. I believe that serious times will give a stimulus to education, and that after a short period, while the situation is part’.cu larly difficult, there wilt be a continunu.-< of tho activity that marked the later years of the war in almost every country in tho world.”