EDUCATION PROBLEMS

Southland Times, Issue 19517, 17 May 1922, Page 5

EDUCATION PROBLEMS

COORDINATING THE COURSES THE MINISTER'S PROPOSALS ADDRESS TO TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE (Special to the Times.) WELLINGTON, May 16. When addressing the Educational Institute to-day, the Minister of Education (Mr Parr) made some interesting references to his plans for the readjustment of the courses in the primary and secondary schools and the establishment of junior high schools or intermediate schools. He said that the crux of the experiment was that by shortening the primary course and providing an intermediate course before the pupil entered the secondary and technical schools the Department would gather all the children of adolescent age together and cater for their natural aptitudes. There was a leakage at present of 39 per cent, of pupils who could not pass the sixth standard. It was unreasonable to regard these children as stupid. Investigation would show in very many cases that their failure was due to causes other than their own inaptitude. The Minister said that he wanted the teachers to assist in moulding a good system, and he invited their criticism of the scheme. The time was ripe for action, and he believed that by talcing counsel with the Council of Education,' the inspectors, the headmasters, and the teachers, the Department would be able to evolve a scheme worthy of the Dominion. His idea was to proceed cautiously and make a start- at a school built recently in Auckland, ami in two other centres. It was necessary to remember that under present conditions the pupils entered a new world when they went to the secondary school from the primary’ school, since there was no co-ordination between the two. The new method would provide gradual steps from one class of school to the other, and would get away from the old idea that one method of instruction was suitable for all pupils. He felt that there was danger as well as weakness in the failure of a large percentage of the pupils to get beyond the primary course. That was the way street corner demagogues were made. Half-educated people were not likely to make good citizens. The cnildren who were leaving before passing the sixth standard were neither stupid nor dull in most cases, but their qualities and aptitudes were not understood. He aimed at remedying that state of affairs. The consolidation of schools was another point mentioned by the Minister. He believed that the multiplication of small schools did not make for efficiency. The regulations allowed a school to be established when there were fifteen pupils ready to attend, and directly the required number of youthful heads could be counted in a district an agitation was set on foot for the opening of a school. He admitted that the agitation was justified very often by the difficulties of communication, but he felt that there was as great a tendency/to create separate schools for every little district. Greater efficiency would be secured if the children were brought to the schools. He thought that there should be an effort to bring about the consolidation of the small schools of the Dominion. In one large district of the United States 1100 schools had been closed and 101 consolidated schools established instead, and the experiment had been an unqualified success.