THE PARENTS’ PROBLEM

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16839, 31 December 1928, Page 2

THE PARENTS’ PROBLEM

CHOICE OF A CAREER " EDUCATION DEPARTMENT’S AID V (Special to the Herald.) WELLINGTON, this day. ' “The Choice of a Career” is the title of a 72-page booklet compiled by . . the Education Department, and issued just at the time when parents are con**r sidering the important question of the next stage in their children’s careers; * As 35,000 copies of this booklet. ,I)3ve been printed, it may be assumed, that copies can be secured easily, and the effort is worth while, ns this publication is the most complete'of its kind ever made available. The main aim is to ..make clear to parents the varieties of ,educational facilities available beyqnd |be'pri)nary school stage, but a large ...proportion of the booklet contains details of the various vocations which cqn be followed, with, of course, suitable infor- „ maticui regarding the educational preparations for them.

WHERE TIME IS WASTED • There is some frank and .valuable advice about pushing children of 'no special aptitude into post : primarr educational courses. ‘‘lf the child has not revealed any pronounced aptitude or inclination, ’’ says the author, ‘‘the parent should decide from the information given in the primary school reports anil from the', verbal opinion of the teacher whether the child .had better enter upon an academic course leading to the passing of the Public Service entrance and the matriculation examinations, or whether he should take up a more practical course leading, on the one hand, to some commercial occupation, or on the other hand, to one of the trades. ‘.‘lt is a mere,waste of time and a weariness of the flesh to both teacher and pupil for a child to enter upon a course in which.hq.js unable to.take a deep interest or for which he has little or.no aptitude. This applies especial? 2y to the academic course. -If .the parents’ circumstances " permit, the pupil should cuter upon a full-time post-primary course. Part-time day courses for children who are not engaged in an occupation arc not .adwised. Parehts'are also recommended not to enter.their children ,fcr short academic courses. If* they know . they cannot keep their children at a post-prin)ary school, for more than a year or two they would' be well ad : vised to select a course of a practical type. These arc to be found mainly in the technical schools, but also in some of the secondary schools. Consultation with the principal is recommended.” CAREERS FOR GIRLS It is pointed out that since most , girls marry sooner or later—but few / can say on leaving when t hey wilj marry, or even whether they will marry at all—the choice of an, occupation for girls isjaaade difticulkby this uncertainty as', to,.whether it will h.e a permanent or a .‘temporary career. ■However, the suggestion; is made that there are- scveriEt,'types. pf, occupations for which the preparation and' train; ing are closely'related, in whole or in B part, to those required for the management of the , home , and the care and training of children. Among .these are nursing, dressmaking, cooking, and needlework.of .all kinds, and .'to a less degree, commercial training. '“Easiness training is hot without its value to .the. housewife, and.office girls who. have; had a'reasonably good home training and have 'taken a suit-1 able course in a, post-primary seJjbpU including domestic subjects' as lyeii. as 1 a special Jreparatipn’ jn , cftmijnercial work, should, be. well, themanagement of .their own^hOmes.” The booklet, gives.particulars, of the wages usually paid to women in clerical, retail trading, facfgry and pip-

i'essional pursuits, and in view of the general idea that most girls find their occupation in an office, the actual analysis based on census figures is surprising. The percentage of women over la years of age to be found in the group .“home arts and occupations requiring similar training” is 84.3. Only 4$ per cent, of out women are employed in clerical, and commercial positions, and 3.8 per cent, in shops. There are still smaller percentages in the factories, on 'the land, and engaged in the professions. SECONDARY INDUSTRIES The information regarding the nature of the work and the pdy in Jhe various secondary industries, and also in the professions, has beqn compiled from first-hand details supplied -direct from- the occupations concerned.. The usual official sources, rvhich generalise and thus give somewhat indefinite information, have been ignored in favor of compilation through direct channels. In any branch of industry where tradesmen are employed, ,the young learner goes through an apprenticeship, and the booklet provides useful | information on this point. It adds,a warning: .“Where there* is no .definite apprenticeship' or wheje the perman- * ence of a particular occupation as part : of the industry is dou.btful—as is often f. the case with/machiue processes—there I is great danger of, the occupation be* ; ing a blind alley, which leads-nowhere] This is especially true of operations in . which only boy or girl labor is cm- ;»■ ployed. In sr.ch occupations, boys .and girls rbeckve practically. ho useful training, have no hope of continuing • in the oceapfotion, and have.of ten. little : jchaace of ■'transfer to other branches I gf the industry. i ; - ‘ r Xn Vd cases, parents are advised ■: to mak'j careful inquiries as to the -of promotion iri any industry. ■ There, gre in every, flourishing industry I iiaporjtqnt' anil Iterative tc> f. be reached- by capable and eriergefiq boys and’girls, always providing that thr.y are. not . too greatly .handicapped thrftngh entering the industry by the - vrropg- door.” ' ' ** ' ' ‘ ‘.THE. INDEPENDENT LIFE ’ ’ ft The generally restrained language r of the official ’ booklet brightens up when it reaches thl section covering primary industries. Here, it is de- | glared,* there is less.risk .'or entering a ‘ ‘ blind-alley ’ * occupation. Sound coinihpnsenso, industry and thrift.'are' main' equisites for success. Pre* limimiry educational qualifications are riot usually required except it) "tho f- specialised branches. .Training is usually given in tile industry itself, ft “More £han half of the men employed in agricultural and pastoral pursuits iu New Zealand are in business on their own account. This point is thoroughly stressed, that the boy •who chooses farming has a better chance of becoming his own master, ' and so attaining independence, than if lie chose any other qi the occupations of town or country outside.the learned professions; ’ ...In addjnbh id Ibis- great advantage, farming ’of all Bids means an outdoor ljfe, and in lost cases plenty ci^.physical activity s well as demanding ti skill, know* liige and craftmansliip greater than ■ re needed in almost any other o.ccn-

pation. In a peculiarly high degree, therefore, a boy may find satisfaction and happiness in the work of the farm, and if ho has also a deep love of nature and a keen interest in living things, in addition to pluck and determination, there is no reason why he should, not win through to a competence, even if he starts out. after training with little or no capital. “In any case.the farmer is, in difficult times, usually in a better position than the town dweller since he is able to produce the necessities of life, and in the last analysis it is the peasant population of a country that best survives the stress of wars and revolutions. In every sense, therefore, the farmer is the backbone of a country. This is particularly true of this Dominion, in which for many years the agricultural and pastoral industries must bo the main support of the country. ’ ’ SCIENTIFIC FARMING The booklet wisely gives much informatfion about the educational facilities new available for our future farmers, and it stresses the value of a mind trained to appreciate the. value of science, d'ith an eye keen to see what science can do for the man on ..the land, qnd technique sufficiently elastic to embody .new methods which have beewprpved in (he,research laboratory or ‘ore the experimental, farm, ' “-The toy who is seeking a career on .the land must, therefore, .have a training, and the . mere deeply .he* is _yerse’d in chemistry, botany;'; physiology qnd other sciences as. applied; to agrieul j ure the. be tier, so long as he does not, in studying the science of agriculture, neglect: the craftsmanship and get out of touch with the routine and operations of the farm arid, the business end of the work, which is,of the first importance.” Two otr.three .years at an agricultural school, such as that, at Feilding, followed where possible by a course at Lincoln or Massey College will, it is pointed out, enable any boy of good average intelligence to profit later on by wnat may be available from thrj result's of scientific investigations applicable to farming.