EFFICIENCY IN EDUCATION.

Southland Times, Issue 20617, 16 October 1928, Page 3

EFFICIENCY IN EDUCATION.

To the Editor. Sir,—“Slim Jim” says he fails to see the efficiency, and will be glad if I will tell him wheer it is. I cannot, for it is rather nebulous to me too. I was taking it on faith. There is so much alleged about the increased efficiency of both teachers and scholars nowadays that we are rather incredulous if we don’t believe there is more or less of it. In Southland, with the number of pupils to a teacher reduced from 43 to 25 since 1891, and the annual cost of tuition of each child more than trebled, we should be getting a large increase of efficiency for our money. On the basis of £22,000 for 8500 scholars in 1891, the cost of 12,100 would have been about £31,318, instead of which it was £103,000 in 1927. If we allow 100 per cent, for increase of general pay and cost of living since 1891, we arrive at £62,636 for 12,100 pupils. Let us generously add another 100 per cent, for hypothetical increase of efficiency, and we reach £93,954, but are still about £9,000 away from Mr F. G. Stevenson’s £103,000. Like the letter x in algebra, the increased efficiency represents to me an unknown quantity, but I think it is only a fraction of 100 per cent. Let there be far fewer holidays, steady work for longer terms, and less feverish cramming for short disconnected periods.—l am, etc., OLD HAND.