CORRESPONDENCE

Southland Times, Issue 19100, 19 November 1923, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE

Letters must be written In Ink and on one ■lde of the paper. Unless a signature, not necessarily for publication, accompanies a letter as a guarantee of good faith it will not bo considered. An asterisk attached to the signature to a published letter denotes that some portion has been deleted by the Editor, a right which is exercised in questions of public policy, Jlbel, good taste and fair play. DUX MEDAL. To the Editor. Sir, —Through your valuable columns I should like to make a few suggestions in regard to the awarding of the “Dux” medal, which is the highest honour it is possible for a child to win at our primary school. I do not know whether in the past headmasters have taken into account the work done by the pupils in the manual school, i.e., boys carpentering and girls home science; also the sewing done by the girls. I think it is only just that these extra subjects should be taken into consideration. And if the award be given for general excellence, then Sir, I think that the place taken by the pupil each year in the sports meeting should also be taken into account Numbers of pupils give their time and strength to training for these sports, the most prominent thought in their minds being the honour and glory of “their” school. During the past five years I have watched the results of the Sports Association competitions and in looking over the records I find the same names mentioned year after year. Now I feel that if the younger pupils knew that the results of their efforts on sports’ days were to be considered when they finally leave the primary' school a number at least of them would become more keen about their class work and the same thing applies to those who do not trouble about the sports. The fact that the sports results were to be taken into account would be an incentive to them to put forth an effort in that direction. I consider that the splendid work done by the Sports’ Association would be greatly enhanced if this suggestion were put into practice. The Education Department allows certain time during school hours to be devoted to games, etc., and also grants a whole holiday for the sports meeting, showing that it considers it all part of a child’s education, which it truly is. This is by no means a new idea, as it was in Cecil Rhodes’s mind when he founded his scholarship. I am, etc., AN ADMIRER OF “PLAYING THE GAME.”