THE COST OF EDUCATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1073, 20 July 1880, Page 2

THE COST OF EDUCATION.

The Hon. Mx. Wate^otjse, has moved 'in jbh^ Oopncil— For a return of alj. per ? sons (stating, positions and salaries) employed under tEe'Education Act. The education - vote was voted in -one. .lump . k sum, and the Assembly 'were given' no -i indication as to how; it was' allotted. It t was desirable that 'members should have the information" lie asked. for^ to know hdw the money" wenib, ahd alaq to ace the possibility of retrenchment. No [ other employees .in the community had their salaries raised so rapidly in the last few years as school teachers had^ and it (seemed they were not to be subject to the same 10 per cent, reduction i as the Civil Service. -The return would show they were paying far more than they could afford.- He. did not wisli to open up a wide question, but with the finances of the colony in ttheirr r present, condition some reform on this object was absolutely necessary. The yearly cost per head of the population in England was Is. 10d., here it was 18s. lOd. — higher than in any other country in the world, and our circumstances were not J such as would justify this vast disparity, j The time was not distant when educational retrenchment would be forced upon Government. Education should' be divided into two classes. Such steps should be taken that the edacation provided by the State should be of a more rudimentary character. 'If a child, after receiving that, was found capable' of higher things, he would be in a position to get them independent of State aid. By our present system we are doing a great injury to the character of the population. The speaker related an instance where a lad, who would • have made an excellent manual worker, had been crammed with education and forced into an employment which, mined his health. Such a system unfitted; a large class for the position in life 'to which they were called. Bpys by it were fitted solely to become Government officers, instead of sturdy, useful settlers. In Rome, when the people had to come to such a state ,as to demand of the Government. .bread and games,, the decline :of the empire had then ensued ; so -here , we were postering, a spjritjwhich .would : impel ', people ; eventually to demand ' of r the State'bread and education,. and the; : result would be the same. ' He hoped 'hon. members anid.' #ie .^Government would glvW " ' % tne v matter • ■'serious 'atten- ■ tion.. Tr .Oolonel / Whiti^oreinew hiß ytewa on ' this I 'sub J ject ; woVe I'■1 '■ unpopiflaV'bi™' would not be deteiWddfrdm expressing them. The expense of-education 1 herewaS'higher' than . anywhere els^. and our ; circumstances, did hot .warranfciii. ... Me: believed in the three great principals— f ree> secular} compulsory educatipiiW b'ufe they' didinot implyriextravaganceioVffhejl were>' irt)tu< Being -Jjcarri^d^iV,put,ip either, i' There was nopcompiilsoty i^educfttipoi^ Palane^ put childrfm ',', wejre. npt a iconxpe^d tp , ; ftt/jen(| t th,em. J. u -The / tei|denp3si^f jthe^^ t iEducatjwp Board,?; was. tobeggme • yearly; more ,exr. pensive, and many.,ithing?;were .paidf,^

100 per cent, more for now than a few. years ago. In school buildings they were most extravagant, and there could not be great economy in that. ' Teachers were paid a great deal too much; and men of very large attainments at high salaries were employed to teach the rudiments. We were running to a dangerous extreme by over-educating. Children whose fit sphere in life was to be laborers were , brought to look with contemt at hard work. By this excessive primary .education, we were ruining the Grammer Schools and carrying on a throttling competition with the private schoolsthere should be competition in education. Every father seemed bent on getting an "appointment" for his son. In all parts of the colony there was a great ambition by the children of those who came. out to battle with. 'the. wilderness fand be valuable colonists, to take an -exactly opposite course to their parents.' Hosts of fine strong young men, instead of going into the country, donning a blue shirt, and turning to the' practical life of a settler; were hunting after wreathed little town billets, so that they might wear a broadcloth coat arid go to .evenings 1 amusmenta ; and ,received : -a t , miserable 'pittance, with the constant 'dread of being dismissed at any time. ?He ..would like to see the young men of the country develope • . a little . more: self reliance. JMCr* • .^Waterhouse deserved credit for bringing forward the' motion. Mr. Reynolds said we had been running riot in education as in every thing else. WeTrereioo expensive in schoolbuildings and the whole system needed revision. They should never have given up the 'fee system. Most patents,, wished to pay .fees,' and thought- without* 1 them • their children were receiving a pauper education. Mri Hart, in supporting tbe motion, said in the 'education of girls their whole time was taken by learning needless things while matters which would make them good housekeepers and wives cooking sewing &c. }^— were entirely neglected. Nine tenths of the children were rendered unfit for useful ordinary occupations, and the whole system was most mischievous, and would, unreformed, become so. ;