THE PRIZE SYSTEM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23330, 23 October 1937, Page 9

THE PRIZE SYSTEM

PRIMARY SCHOOLS ABOLITION SUGGESTED DUNEDIN HEADMASTERS' VIEWS The Dunedin Headmasters' Association recently discussed the question of prizes in primary schools, and a report has been drawn up which has been fully considered by the association, and is now submitted as the unanimous decision of that body. Copies are being forwarded to all school committees in the vicinity of Dunedin, and also to the School Committees' Association, with a request that a combined conference be held on the matter. The association suggests that the money at present spent on prizes could be used for establishing and maintaining improved library facilities and in the purchase of material to allow of greater use being made of films in the school.' The report is as follows: — Traditional Practice We are living on tradition. It has been the custom for so long that we have come to look upon it as right. We owe much to the great educators of the past, but methods and ideas have changed and our outlook on education has been modified and modernised. Practices and customs, however, die hard; those which people become used to tend to become permanent, even though their true value cannot be sustained. We are apt to take things for granted, and until compelled to look at and scrutinise values people are apt to pay undue homage to traditionary practices. We are in the grip of tradition, and that keeps us in a grooye. A groove only differs from a grave in depth. Let us not be so buried that we cannot rise if we so desire. Other districts without prizes have not found it necessary to introduce them, and yet their educational standard has not suffered. Fortified by tradition, many parents may still support prizegiving, not because of the justice it merits but because of the fear of the lack of incentive which would eventuate. The incidence of the stimulating effect falls on the minority of any class. The support of many has been (a) through a genuine desire to further the cause of education; (b) to show their appreciation of the work carrieed on at some particular subject or by some particular teacher; (c) their desire to see some particular subject improved or encouraged; (d) a wish to perpetuate the memory of an ex-pupil or other person, or a certain event. One reason for giving prizes formerly was that reading material was very scarce, and the giving of books was with the idea of a child having something to read. These books were valued very much, and were read several times. Reading material to-day is very plentiful, and is more and more being made available through libraries, etc. How the System Works Generally speaking, the same few pupils get the prizes year after year. These are already rewarded by the superior mental equipment with which they have been endowed. Not always the hard workers or the most deserving—the real plodders often get no recognition Attempts have been made to overcome this weakness by awarding prizes to pupils who have just missed the prize list, or for the one who has made the most progress. Prizes often fall to pupils from homes where parents or older brothers and sisters are able to assist.

In these homes there are books which pupils can use further to assist them in their studies.

Many deserving pupils are not able to do good work at examinations, or through illness or accident are absent from examinations and so lose their chance.

There are in all classes pupils who have to work hard every inch of the way. In some cases we call these "backward children," the various causes being poor nourishment, serious illness, migrating habits of parents, too rapid physical growth, etc. There are also those termed "less intelligent." who rfter all may be only "slow developers," i.e., those who develop a vear or so behind the normal age. These have all to compete with the clever pupils of the same class. Our educational system recognises that all pupils in a class have not the same ability, and we are instructed to group them into sections for teaching purposes. But we put them all in one competition for prizes. Form of Bribery Prizes are a form of bribery—an appeal to the competitive spirit, leading to egotism and vanity jealousy and even dishonesty. Prizes are for the few only, and the system is inclined to develop a spirit of "pot hunting" in both parents and children. This can be seen in the world of sport to-day-scheming to win a race, a match, or a trophy True spirit is being killed instead of being encouraged. Pupils, and those engaged in sport generally, should have more of the social spirit—should work for the good of the team, not for self Let us inspire pupils to do their best for the school, not for themselves. It is inclined to develop a superiority and inferiority complex. Up to the age of 11 the child is a self being. At this stage the team spirit emerges and should be developed. Under the present system the child's soul and mind is warped by an unnatural institution imposed upon him by external circumstances which are foreign to his nature. Aim of Education What is the aim of education? To build up character. To put before the pupils an ideal manhood and womanhood —to live a life of unselfishness and service for others. To teach our pupils to love work and to love learning for its own sake, not for what is to be got out of it in the way of tangible rewards. To teach our pupils that as they climb the ladder of life to heights of success, it is their duty to lend a helping hand to a brother who is ! faltering by the way. We should teach them the great ideal of service for others and not everything for self We should teach them that as the corning citizens tt is their duty to educate themselves as well as they can so that they may be better prepared to take the place of those who are passing on, and may thus be enabled to make this world a better place to live in The tendency of prize giving is to reward ability or cleverness or natural endowment and not char acter. A child is blessed with talents inherited from his parents and ancestors. These natural abilities

enable him to beat his class mate who has not been so well endowed by Nature, but who is struggling against the misfortunes of his birth and is endeavouring to fight his way to the top of his class in spite of the unfortunate handicaps of his life. This boy, who is struggling and needs every encouragement is thrust aside—he is no good—he has no brains—his striving does not count for much and he goes unrewarded.

Numbers of great men in all walks of life were apparently dull at school—in fact, to-day they would be classed as retardates. To what great heights might they have risen had they received the encouragement they deserved! Talents Not Exercised Liberal as our primary system of education may be, the diverse latent talents in a school are not exercised, so that it is highly probable that many children potential scientists, aviators, explorers, dramatists—leave the primary school discouraged because there has been no outlet for their singular mental resources; because the narrow system which compels the pupil to study solely for examinations and prizes has within its confines no place for them. Thus many pupils with brilliant intellects are prevented from conferring their services upon the community. The Education Department has now granted to teachers absolute freedom in the organisation, methods of teaching, programmes of work, and control of their schools. Proficiency examinations have been eliminated, and headmasters have been advised to curtail their term testing considera' ly. Such class testing as will.be conducted under th- new system of examination will be for the classification of pupils for the purpose of promotion. The child who is following his individual bent, as encouraged by the teacher, is at a disadvantage in comparison with the pupil who concentrates solely on the essentials, such as arithmetic and English, for which prizes may be awarded. This modern system emphasises more than ever character training, and such cannot be measured in terms of numerical marking. Substitutes For Prizes

We suggest that money, at present spent on prizes, could be used to establish and maintain reference libraries, class libraries, films for projecting machines, etc. The matter of memorial prizes, scholarships, etc., could be discussed with the trustees of such funds and arrangements made to institute memorial sections in school reference libraries or other educational equipment. By so doing every child in the school would benefit, and so he personally interested in the memorial. '