EDUCATION IN DOMINION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18992, 17 April 1936, Page 5

EDUCATION IN DOMINION

CHANGES IN DETAIL URGED OPINIONS OF DIRECTOR EXPERIENCE 0 VERSE AS (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. "Our system of education, primary and post' primary, is fundamentally sound, modern and Well suited to our requirements." This is the general conclusion of Mr. N. T. Lambourne, the Director of Education, in reporting to the Minister of Education on his lengthy tour overseas to investigate educational matters. The report has been tabled in the House of Representatives. It contains many details of various classes of educational activities in Britain, Denmark, Canada, California and Australia. Mr. Lambourne states that the Dpminion has all modern educational developments that are in operation elsewhere, though, in some cases, New Zealand lias not advanced as far as other countries. He makes many recommendations for changes in the detail in New Zealand's system, pointing out that the school certificate, which affords a suitable choice for subjects' for pupils in every course taken in post-primary schools, removes, to some extent, the dominance of the university entrance examination, which dominance is not sought by the ui.iversity.

■GRADING OF TEACHERS The report states that New Zealand's grading system for teachers rarely fails in practice to secure the most efficient applicant for a position by selection which should be free of patronage or localism. The training of teachers is on right lines, but the training colleges, compared with those overseas, are understaffed..

The Dominion's secondary schools are, in large measure, well suited to the requirements, but, for some pupils, the curricula are too academic, though the introduction of the scnool-leaving certificate enables them to avoid this phase if they are not intending to proceed to the university.

The report considers that technical schools are developing on sound lines. "No school I saw abroad is quite comparable with them," says Mr. Lambourne.

Few changes are needed in the method of training teachers, but the report makes the recommendation that there should be a secondary training department attached to one of the four university colleges and that the number of students to be trained should be fixed by the Minister.

RESTORATION OF GRANTS Among other recommendations made are that grants for school libraries should be restored, and further cooperation arranged with other libraries; the restoration of subsidies on money raised for school purposes; the provision of scholarships, plus allowances for country children otherwise nnable to hold them; the restoration of the university bursaries to. all higher-leaving certificate holders, and the further provision of loans or grants to needy university students; the restoration of grants to workers' educational associations, the provision of larger supplies of handwork material, arid more instruction in handicrafts and manual training! in all types of schools; the appointment of an inspectress of domestic subjects and organisers in physical education, music, art, infant class work and handicrafts; the stabilisation of university finance over a.period of say three years, and the setting up of a committee representing the New Zealand University, the university colleges, the Treasury, and the Education Department, to prepare a scheme.

Commenting on school buildings, the report states that scarcely any New. Zealand schools are as large as the newest in Britain, Denmark, Australia and America, but in the design of the classrooms, and in furniture, lighting and ventilation New Zealand's newest compare favourably and call for no substantial alteration.

New Zealand, however, is far behind in the matter of accommodation, and the schools should have more assembly halls and classrooms for special subjects.