POST-PRIMARY EDUCATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20592, 15 December 1928, Page 21

POST-PRIMARY EDUCATION.

MORE CO-ORDINATION NECESSARY. TECHNICAL COLLEGE PRINCIPAL’S VIEWS. That _ there is a serious lack of coordination between the primary, technical, and secondary branches of education in the Dominion, was the opinion expressed by the principal of the King Edward College (Mr W. G. Aldridge) in the course of the annual report which he submitted at” the breaking-up ceremony of the college yesterday. Facilities for post-primary education, said Mr Aldridge, had been extended during the past 20 years. The Minister of Education had been prevailed upon to refer the_ question of co-ordination to a Consultative Committee, but the report, produced after lengthy deliberation, did not seem to have brought reform much nearer; it had served rather to illustrate what wide differences of opinion still existed as soon as one sought'to translate fundamental principles into practice. For instance, it was generally agreed that education of post-primary stage should be begun earlier than had been the, custom, bjit attempts to give effect to the finding were found * immediatejy to conflict with the interests and prejudices of constituted authority. Posrll l 0 might yet come peacefully by the simple extension of a process that was already, in operation in Dunedip, namely, the' acceleration of PJJPJ* 1 8 * arou ßh the primary schools. In 1824 the, average age of pupils entering secondary schools throughout New Zealand was 13 years and 10 months, and 1? certainly not less. In the Technical College this year the average age on entry was only 13 years and three months.

. At first teachers were struck by the immaturity of a number of these pupils, judged by their power to commence work of the standard the college staff had been accustomed to, but he regarded the change m a most favourable Tight. If it continued it would go far towards meeting the proposals made m many quarters for post-primary education after the age of 12, and it would do so without upsetting any part of the educational system. Further, as the majority of parents now agreed in practice to the school leaving age being fixed at 15, they might look torward to these younger pupils remaining ,with them for two or three years, instead of a year less. They intended next year to face seriously in both first and,second year courses, the special problems which this new phase ol the work fifff 6 ? j V** I second year * classes they had been fortunate in retaining almost all their best pupils. As a result, the second year work had been, on the A*®) quite high quality, and he looked forward to the opportunity of strengthening all their third, year courses

“As a general rule,” said Mr Aldridge, m conclusion, “there is nothing I more strenuously oppose than the training for professional examinations of all and sundry, and in our first and second year classes, there is no such training. I will olmL? 0 Bo c far . as to. recommend the cancellation of a free place of a pupil who persists in wasting his time and ours on ™^„ C^ am 4 c , o V t ; se hoping by some miracle to conceal his unfitness from ah examiner; but I shall be pleased to make' Em u Pr ,, epa T at . lon , % matriculation, should it be desired, with a number of wnrtk pup! r ' vho have shown their worth m a preliminary technical course.”