The Educational Systems of New Zealand and Victoria.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4983, 16 April 1889, Page 3

The Educational Systems of New Zealand and Victoria.

The following is an abstract of a paper read before the Southland Educational Institute by Mr W. G. Mebaffy, a few days ago, on “ The Educational System of New Zealand compared with that of Victoria.” Both systems are based upon the same three fundamental principles —they are free, secular, and compulsory. While, however, the compulsory clauses of the New Zealand Act are inoperative, those of the Victorian one are carried out by fairly effective machinery; the colony is divided into districts, over each of which an officer is appointed to summons before the minor courts those parents whose children haye not attended the number of days specified by the Act; thus no odium attaches to the teacher or any local body. In both colonies the schools are maintained by an annual vote out of the consolidated revenue. But in New Zealand there are educational reserves, the rents from which are appropriated to the causa partly of primary, and partly of secondary educacation. In Victoria secondary schools are left entirely to private enterprise, or that of religious bodies ; New Zealand legislators have deemed it wise to foster various high schools and colleges. Both colonies spend liberally on University education. It is in administration that the greatest differences exist between the two systems. In Victoria centralisation has been carried out to the fullest extent; in New Zealand local bodies are still employed in the work of management. As a consequence apparently, where uniformity is the characteristic in one country, a striking diversity is observable in the other. Clearly to shew to what extent the systems thus differ it is necessary to go somewhat into detail. New Zealand teachers are appointed by a local committee, the appointment to be confirmed by a superior body. In Victoria all are made by the Minister of Education in accordance with stringent regulations intended to prevent all use or abuse of patronage. In Victoria the teacher is a Civil servant; in New Zealand he is the servant of a local body. In the former colony his promotion is regulated hv a Civil Service Board in the constitution of which he has a voice, and is certain if slow,in the latter colony his promotion is determined partly by his energy and partly by Ms luck, and may be rapid, or of the Hibernian kind —downward, Under the Victorian system the teacher is independent of local or parish authority and cannot bo the victim of petty spite or ill will on the part of some , district Bumble. He is also better paid than the teacher in New Zealand. The salary of the latter (omitting pupil teachers) ranges ; from £6O to £480; the former from £IOO ( to £495. In Victoria the prizes of the pro- j fesgion aro many, in New Zealand they are . few. The classification of teachers varies | much. In New Zealand there are nine classes j ranging from Ksto A 1; in Victoria there are three. The syllabus of instruction does ■ not vary materially ; on the whole the New Zealand one is the more exhaustive. Liberal f provision Is made in the one colony for free ( night schools, in the other there-is no provi- j sion at all. In respect of singing there is em- ■ ployed in Victoria a large staff of masters at j salaries ranging from £l5O to £4OO a year, and members of the ordinary teaching staff ore encouraged by the of liberal ( bonuses to qualify themselves to give singing ■ lessons. Drawing and drill aro similarly pro- , moted. In New Zealand no attempt has j been made in these directions. Both countries t have permissive regulations regarding reli- ■ gious instruction—in neither is much advan- f tago taken of them. In Victoria the classes may be dismissed on two afternoons in the week, half an hour before the ordinary time, so that a visting clergyman or other competetent person may impart religious knowledge. New Zealand makes no such concession. On the other hand the reading book used in Victoria must have all sacred references expunged from them —while those used throughout New Zealand abound in moral and religious lessons. In the one the most rigid interpretation is put upon the word “ secular,” in the other it is not defined at all. Neither gives the word the force j it has in New South Wales, where j “ secular instruction ” is held ■ to in- ] elude general religious teaching as distinguished from dogmatical or polemical theology. In the matter of _ discipline j Victorian teachers are under certain explicit , rules, those of New Zealmd are left to their own judgment or want of judgment. Tho ] rules in question specially exempt girls from corporal punishment; Now Zealand girls , sometimes bear the mark of the fcawso. Finally the service in Victoria is like a close j corporation, entrance into it by teachers from ( other parts of the world is prevented by strin- j gent regulations. The service in New Zealand ; is open to all and for such classification as the 1 incomer may bring he receives from the Edu- , cation Department whatever is regarded as an | equivalent. i