THE PROPOSED ABOLITION OF THE "STANDARDS."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11452, 17 June 1899, Page 6

THE PROPOSED ABOLITION OF THE "STANDARDS."

TO THK 'EDITOTt.

Sin,—lt is lime to define what I mean by tho. above heading to prevent possible and veiy piobiblc miHindersl uuling 'Ihpre is a ceitun lai^p sheet of cardboard supplied to all public schools in New Zealand with the piinlcd heading, "Sfandaid o' Edupition," on which is dpeenbed (he nature of the instruction to be imparted by teacho -, of pumaiv school" to they pupils, uranged in six successive steps, or sfiades oi degiens, togethei wuh some gencial dncc tions^ to inspectors and teachers concerning lho mannei in which that mstiuction l to be giv<m and letted

Teachers, as a rule,'call'this code of inaliuction the Syllabus, a far more Mjitible turn lhan " Slandmd« Vnd jivnh those who contend for the abolition of lhe«e Slandauls ' <-o self miscalled, oi what I tl ink should be ctllgcl the syllabus or code of mstiuction, lam m perfect agieement It should be put in the fire and a «unplei and more piaolic^l code e->labli*hed in its plate llowe\ei I do not gathei fiom the agitations of most of our. edueationo.l Teformers that this is what they w iiit whin crjing out for the. abolition- of the Standards. They mean tie abolition of mdnidudl c\unination bj in pectors, and what 'eachcis call Irecdom of cl iwhcation—that if, libertj for a teacher t place a pupil in anj claw he likes without lef'rence to anj tes*- by an outside uithoriU buch an alteiatio" «p our sjstem would, I think, be unwito, 1 ecui^p, fiistlj the inslruc t.oi j,neu in e-'ch sub]ect would mevitrblj /Ccone lot-, t-horoui?h if not mdmduaHv letted «tcondl\ there would be, for eacher-,, dneot eucouriqoment lo neglect, then dull and slo\ pupili thirdly, a." a teichei - =ehoKshc lopitation you'd impend solely ok hi msj iclion lepoil, te-icrriT^ ould become practically mere subalterns of Ihei' in ana tota^j devoid of inj mitntne capacity; fourthly, the valuable stimulus vhieh tho ijiize of an annual pass gives to the Ciieigics of the active minded pupil would be ieno\ed and, l_stlj, the natuial, though deporable, tendency 'of human nature to do work in a '•lovonly and superficial mannei, unle s kept ={;irny up to the mark, would be ficatlv encouiagcd in the veij place wheie that lei dencv should be most «edulou^v di co l iqed i^ I hope vom couespondent "J C" will now consider tnct I am keeping to the point I am s?lad that he nnds -ome ir our cdv cjlional oyslem The meie fact that there is so much cont°mpoiaiv intelligent interest in educational matteis shows that it 3ns not yet, at any late, quite stopped the cWlop ment of intellect —[ am, etc ,

A W Tyndall