SECONDARY EDUCATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3743, 8 December 1925, Page 30

SECONDARY EDUCATION.

COMMENT ON MR TATE’S REPORT. STRONG CASE FOR ACCREDITING. Following a suggestion by the Minister of Education (Hon. C. J. Parr), comments <Sn and criticisms of Mr Tate’s report wore invited from all schools in the Dominion. The following precis of the information received has been prepared on behalf of the executive of the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Association by the bon. secretary of that body (Mr F. M. Renner). Every child (states the report) should have uie opportunity of obtaining free •econdary education. In order to avoid the great waste of public money resulting from secondary school pupils leaving school before the end of two years, we are of the opinion that the compulsory school age should be raised from 14 to 15 years at least. More than one. principal is of the opinion also that the parent or guardian of every free-place pupil should be compolled to give a guarantee of a two years’ high school attendance when the child enters a secondary school, for it is only too common an occurrence to find parents prematurely re* loving their children often without good reason, and more often still without notice. Principals of girls’ schools find that in the second year commercial ©Losses, children will often 'be taken from the school and sent on to a business college to learn commercial work and pass shorthand examinations. The parents cannot be persuaded that success in business depends nowadays very much on the foundation of a good all-round education. We find that the failure of many children to complete a full secondary course of two years is due to the po6t-primary course being begun too late. Hence we are in agrement with the principle that the primary school course should cease at the age of 12 years. If this limit were imposed we are confident that when the children take up post-primary work they will adapt themselves more readily to new conditions, will remain long enough to complete a secondary course, and thus imbibe something cf a school tradition. The association agrees that at least two other factors require attention. These are: (1) The lack of articulation between primary and secondary education; (2) the narrowness of the curriculum of many of our secondary schools. The lack of articulation is responsible for conditions that tend to discourage and dampen the enthusiasm of many children, particularly during the past year. We con less that secondary school teachers are too often ignorant of the primary school syllabus and methods. Mr Tate was surprised to find that the administration of the two branches of our educational system “had so few points of contact. This is a shortcoming which .should be remedied.’’ As to the “narrowness of curricula” in Jeoondary schools, we are of the opinion that not only should there be a general academic course and a commercial course, but in addition a course for all boys in drawing, woodwork, metal work, etc., and for girls such subjects as would come under the heading of a domestic science. Under our present system we do not develop the art and craft side of the children’s education nearly enough. This is hardly the fault of our teachers, but it is the fault of the system under which we have to work. We have nothing like adequate Jm ® to devote to drawing, designing, music, etc. While we agree with recommendation 32 (if the words, “with advisory powers only” were added), we fail to see how the work laid down by such an expert supervisor could be carried out under present conditions. The association therefore cordial! 7 approves of a scheme to broaden the curriculum of our secondary schools and to extend it in the direction of prevocationai training. We merely repeat our definite agreement to such a scheme endorsed by us in our own report of August, 1923. That such a scheme will have to be introduced and extended cautiously and deliberately goes without saying. MATRICULATION AND ACCREDITING The matriculation and other examinations —their tyranny over our secondary school system—is a very real thing, and this tyranny is maintained and fostered by the general public. Far too many parents look at education from a utilitarian point of view and not from the cultural. The attitude of schools themselves in the past, and possibly certain economic factors, may have helped to bring the present despotism into being. But it is certain that the Department, too, has not been without blame in making the matriculation examination the standard for the lower leaving certificate; and, in practice, making matriculation an indispensable condition for gaining either the lower or higher leaving certificates. If for no other reason than to reduce the number of candidates that present themselves every December, should some form of accrediting be introduced. The Victorian system, while sound, seems cumbersome, The department should take the first step by overhauling regulations and curricula affecting the leaving certificate It should give the lower leaving certificate another name and make it a cQinplete record of a four years’ course of good work, and so educate the public generally to accept it. as the best indication any school can offer of a # pupil’s aptitude and fitness for particular positions. Those pupils who wish to proceed to the university and are accredited in their third or fourth year should be allowed to matriculate only after spending a further period of one year at a secondary achool after they have neon accredited.

There is no doubt that the substitution of a leaving certificate in lieu of matricution for many pupils would result in more stimulating methods of teaching and a greater keenness and a saner outlook on Die part of the secondary school teacher. Not only would the efficiency of our schools D» increased, but they would be able to develop one of the most important parts pi a child's education—the right iiro of leisure. We stress this because it is on ue way in which leisure is used that the whole tone of the community depends. We think that our association has made put a good case of accrediting; but its Introduction postulates a thorough systom ©f in«poction l and fhereforo an increase in Ihe inspectornil staff. The increase is absolutely necessary even now. For the depart-

ment to expect two inspectors to report on all the secondary schools of New Zealand is little short of ridiculous. In aity case, we recommend, in view of Mr Tate’s and our own very definite complaint of the lack of articulation between primary and secondary education, th when the department contemplates increasing the number of inspectors, at least one should bo an officer with some experience of both branches of our education system. The introduction of accrediting will, we hope, lead to closer co-operation between the university and the Education Department. For example, under present conditions, a girl who desires eventually to take up the study of medicine, is compelled by the department to take home science during her first two years at a high school. Yet the university will not accept the subject as an equivalent science for the medical preliminary examination. This places a girl at & distinct disadvantage. TRAINING OF TEACHERS. Every principal regards this a matter of the utmost importance. While the idea of a central training college is in some respect worthy of consideration, and may be a possible solution of the present difficulties in way of imparting training, we question whether the matter of finance will allow such a scheme to be put into operation. Apart from the expenditure on buildings, the cost of administration, salaries, allowances, etc., would be from £9OOO to £IO,OOO per annum. W T e consider that the experiment begun throe years ago and still being carried on at Wellington College should be persevered with and extended even though Mr Tate states that he has “no faith in student practice gained in the ordinary work a day school, where the staff teachers may have no special qualifications as training masters, and no special interest in the students.” We regard it as impracticable to adopt Mr Tate’s suggestion that degree work and professional training should not be concurrent. In our opinion the expense would be heavy, not only to the State, but to the would-be entrants. Few young people can afford to devote four years to University work, and thereafter another two years to professional training. But, pending the settlement of the whole question, my association desires to stress the valuable results that would accrue if refre.sher courses for secondary school teachers were held during the vacation. THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. We note that Mr Tate advocates the separate junior high school system. The association is wholly opposed to Mr Tate’s view. Both in large centres as well as in intermediate and small centres, junior high schools should be attached to existing secondary schools. In localities where technical high schools exist side by side with previously established secondary schools, the former must cease to take in pupils under 15 years of age, and must be used entirely for trade purposes and for higher specialised technical training. The so-called technical school must become a technical school in fact as well as in name. We most emphatically prefer the composite junior high school to the single course school advocated by Mr Tate in his report. Our opposition to the separate junior high school system is based on this: that such a system means three stages in a child’s education. We regard it as of the utmost importance that a child’s post primary work should begin and end in the same school. Further, we are convinced that a three years’ course in a junior high school, entirely separated from an existing high school, will result in disaster to our present secondary schools—destined to become the senior high schools of the future. TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Mr Tate makes this statement: “It is true that within the high schools different courses have since been developed, but it is regrettable that more emphasis has not been laid on the necessity of building up an efficient system of technical and industrial training, ori the superstructure of a liberal, but definitely planned pre-voca-tional course of preparatory training in post-primary schools. This, in my opinion, is the weak spot in post-primary education in the Dominion.” Mr Tate has clearly indicated that the so-called technical education is the great weakness. He says so distinctly. Some of his statements are interesting. (1) Technical teachers should know their work in relation to the presentday industrial requirements; (2) the best type of technical student is the one actually engaged in any industry; (3) real teachnical education cannot begin until after the age of 15 years; (4) the effectiveness of a technical school is measured by the quality of the skilled craftsmen it assists in producing and by the standard of applied science and applied art which it brings to bear upon industrial operations; (51 oyer half of the 5040 pupils in technical high schools take up a commercial course; (6) the tendency of education in the technical high schools is to depart more and more from training in technical subjects and to take up courses of instruction which are very little different from an ordinary high school course; (7) if technical education, as distinct from trade-training, is to develop. it must reach upward far higher than it does at present. It is quite easy to see what Mr Tate is criticising. He says in effect: Technical schools are doing the work which can be done and is being done in many instances in the high schools. The teachers in technical schools are not trained experts—they are not kept closely in touch with actual industries; they do not go high enough into specialised technical work. The technical nigh schools have attracted quantity rather than quality, and that the so-called technical education embraces much that is too general and ought to be cut out. Technical education in New Zealand is. frankly, a misnomer. It is vocational training. The name technical is in many instances so much camouflage.