EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11522, 18 May 1923, Page 8

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE

SIMPLIFIED SPELLINC NEW AND REMODELLED BUILDINGS WANTED. HEAVY LEGAL EXPENDITURE. The New Zealand Educational In stitute continued its conference at the Dominion Farmers’ Institute last evening. : AN INNOVATION. Air W. N. Rowntree moved’ the adoption of a Nelson remit that the Education Department he asked to follow the example of the London Board of Education, the Education Department of Scotland, and other British authorities by sanctioning experiments in teaching reading with the spelling advocated by the Simplified Spelling Sodiety ji" Loudon. , Air Rountree said that experiments were made in England and Scotland, and the children made good progress. They were afterwards taken back -to the ordinary epelling, and it was found they were six months ahead of children who had been spelling in the ordinary way. Air A. Bell seconded the motion, which was carried. The following remit from Southland was carried: That the department be requested to publish in book form a school music course designed to teach pupils to 6ing from old notation; that the course bo published in grades, and that a supply sufficient to provide each pupil with a copy on loan be sent to each school. Remits dealing with syllabus and examination, including one disapproving of special attention being given to scholarship candidates out of the prescribed school hours, either by head teachers or assistants, were also adopted. THE ANNUAL REPORT. The annual report was then received. This recorded a membership at the end of the year of 4735, an increase of 410. A new branch had been formed at Rangitikei. The provident fui|U sflood oit £2947, and grants amounting to £55 had been made. The legal assistance fund p mounted to £793 10s. The drain on this fund had been very heavy during the year, fifteen cases having been referred to solicitors for opinion or action. Tho outstanding case was the Park case, carried on to vindicate the security of a teacher’s certificate. The executive had had its customary interview with the Alinister for Education on such matters as raising the school age, salaries, teachers’ register, Superannuation Act amendments, etc. The Alinister had expressed himself as being in accord with the Institute in regard to most of these topics ; but with regard to the payment of removal expenses and the payment oi salaries on the Hylton scheme, he said tho difficulty was one of finance, as the ehnnjM asked for would load to additionafV’xpcnditure. With re ferenco to tho former, tho financial difficulty was admitted, but with respect to tho latter the statement was chailonged and a promise given that a report would bo prepared giving details of the scheme.

In regard to education in its national aspect, the executive noted with the geatest satisfaction an ever-in-creasing public demand for post primary education. This was evidenced by the fact that already additional accommodation was having to be provid ed for pupils reeking admission to the experimental Junior High School m Auckland. The first draft of school dental

nurses had commenced duty, and the result could not fail to be seen in an improved condition of health in the young. A new system of instruction by correspondence for children in out-of-lho-way places should go far to minimise the disadvantages which these children suffer. There was no indication yet of any intention to raise the school age, although the increased attendances seemed to show conclusively that the publio were quite ready for such a forward movement. The building record, too, was still far from what it should be, both in respect of new buildings and of the failure to remodel or rebuild the many unsuitable structures which were still serving as schools. To these must be added complaints from north to south of the shortage of teaching material, especially for manual training. It was also to he regretted, in the interests of country children, that no progress was to he recorded in the direction of consolidation of small schools. The report was considered in committee, and the conference adjourned until this morning.