JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18601, 8 July 1922, Page 7

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS

MR SIDEY CURIOUS. STATEMENT BY MINISTER (Fhom Oor Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, July 7 The Minister of Education (the Hoii. C. J Parr) told ■ the members of the House of Representatives something about the proposed reform of the education system today. The question was raised ty Mr T K. Sidey (Dunedin South), who asked if the Minister was prepared to make a statement regarding the Junior High School. “All that has been decided is to make a trial of the new type of schools in one centre, or possibly two centres,” said the Minister. ‘‘This is the Junior High School, which deals with children from 12 to 15 years of age. I should like the House to realise that in other countries the system has got far beyond the experimental stage. It is in operation in the United States and Canada. The Junior High Schools are to be found in England, in Scotland, in Wales, and in Australia. The time has come at least for a trial of the new schools.” , Here Mr Sidey asked if the Junior High Schools were going to give vocational trainmg. The Minister said that was quite a wrong idea.. Existing school buildings would bo used, arid the teachers Would be drawn from existing schools. The idea was simplv to shorten the elementary courses so that the children could complete them at the age of 12 years, and to provide an intermediate secondary course between the ages of 12 and 16 years. Educationalists all over the world were sayirip that six years, not eight years, was the proper period for elementary education. Educational experts in New Zealand, added the Minister, had approved of the scheme. He believed that the Junior High Schools system was going to help the country schools’ children. The country children, under present conditions, had very little chance of getting high school education. —(Members: “Hear,hoar.”) When the new system was in operation, said Mr Parr, the Education Department would provide Consolidated schools at central points in the country districts, and would provide for the transport of tho children to the schools so that the children would bo given a sound secondary education.