THE SCHOOLS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12752, 2 May 1912, Page 2

THE SCHOOLS.

' During the past two years the nuhi-j ber.,of chUdren - attending the board! schools does., not show any - M layge in-!' crease (states Inspector . Hill).' Household schools have increased m number, ! but. there have been no marked, in- : creases of. pupils m the larger school j centres '=. At tlie close, off the, year 1909 fche'V children belonging to . the <board ' schools /numbered 10,194, aiid m Decern,- ' ber,- 1911-, the number had -increased to' 10,595, -jm < increase , of 401 m two' yeaa's, ' which is less than -.. 4 per cent. There are no districts except i Matawai, near Motii^- -i» the .'- Poverty Bay district, I - where new schools are likely to be re- 1 quired during the year, unless- the pro-j jected Napier- Gisborne railway formation should cause an influx of workmen' with "their families / as m the case of,.'. Otoko -and Matawai. Attention is again called to the infrequency^of good reading m the schools. There is an, absence of precision, phrasing^' naturalness- and good enunciation among pupils m the higher classes,! which imply defective instruction" m the 'j earlier stages of preparation. In the infant schoolis at Home the mistress m j chargei is a trained specialist. Particular } methods of instruction are adopted m different schools, but everything is done . to itoke as thorough as possible all the foundation work m essential subjects like ' reading and arithmetic. j - .'Writing continues to be well taught! m the majority of schools, but less attention appears to be given to neatness; and -method than was the case .a^ few i years, ago* The increasing number of j school subjects may account for this. Geography m . these days of commerr cialism is too important a subject to be neglected, yet.it does not occupy,. the prominent place it used to do. ,m the •school; course.. It is hardly the syllabus thas,vis'at fault, for m many respects it is intensely practical, but with, so many subjects , to prepare,, the, shadow of kuowledge is more sought after than the substance. One might set doxvn here iom© of the . curious rifcswers of Stand - pupils the late examinations, •Vttt; ihey -all. -point to the same weak-, rleaa, - "vivs., too many subjects aaul iw sufficiency of time for preparation. In conclusion, I would add. that al--1 though during my absence from New j Zealand many public schools ih various! (countries Avere visited^ \vhich' were} handsomei*, larger T and. more luxurious- ( I !y f jfi'iiished than one. is accustomed to ' see. m this country, I met no teachers .more earnest of jnore able than arc -to! ,*be met with 'm New Zealand', and I j 'certainly saw; no better results than one ; usually sees m this district and m other parts of the Dominiou. | j Comparisons vara necessarily difficult, ; because the social -and industrial condi- ! tions are so different m Great Britain I and other co-related countries. includ-J ing our own. Our children are brought j up,', under ;, Defter and freer conditions' j than exist, at Home. Formalism and ('class. - distinctions '. are less , pronounced | ■{with us, but under a freer dLsciplinSj the* children of tilie. . Dominion are as. •manly. as ; thoughtful; and as apt as .in* any of the v countries, visited. What is ; wanted just riow is the , broadening of jthe teachers' aims and ideals, and to do i this something must, be done to help j them-to visit -other -lands, so as to act "s'. incentives t0 . ,. progressive r thought bore. Education 1V tlie watchword m all ,avi!i»ed: lands-, but, that hind, will best;* succeed thp,t ■; aiitabipatss H,he M'orld of -to-morrow aiid 'adapts the education of the future citizens' to the coming . change-, j . -■ . ■ ;