EDUCATION

Southland Times, Issue 20661, 17 April 1929, Page 6

EDUCATION

SUPER-PRIMARY SYSTEM VISITING MINISTER EXPLAINS THE TECHNICAL SIDE The Hon. D. 11. Drummond, Minister for Education in New South Wales, who arrived in Invercargill last evening, was asked by a Times representative what form superprimary and secondary education took in tyew South Wales. “Secondary education,” said Mr Drummond, “is a term used to denote any form of education for the development of primary school pupils along an academic' course to the matriculation or university standard. This implies an education which requires one foreign language as a compulsory subject. It is developed in rural district schools where a small number of pupils are to be trained to a standard for the intermediate certificate or three years' commercial course. In the larger city schools, pupils take a four or five years’ course in what are known as the full high schools. “Then we have intermediate high schools of from 150 to 200 pupils taking the academic high school course. In secondary schools of the smaller grades pupils take a three years’ course or to the intermediate stage. The education is of the same type as in the district schools. Next comes the full high school where pupils take a course extending to the fifth year and on to the university. In most cases an alternative course is offered—the pupils can take French and Latin for the arts course, as for instance, medicine, or they have the opportunity of taking French only, for matriculation purposes or to lead (o degrees. That, briefly covers schools giving academic courses in the larger cities. District Rural Schools. “The district rural school provides in the case of boys, one year of compulsory agriculture, and then after the boys have had an opportunity to select their future occupations, they go on to the study of a trade or commercial course. The boy who selects a trade is taught woodwork, plumbing, blacksmithing and leatherwork in addition to ordinary academic subjects. The girls are taught domestic science and commercial subjects. The rural schools do not provide foreign languages. If the pupils qualify for the full high school course they are obliged to attend elsewhere. The education in the rural schools brings the pupils up to the intermediate standanl and a certificate of commercial standard is issued. In cities where circumstances permit the children who are not qualified for entry to the full high school are given the choice of a junior technical commercial course for boys and domestic science and commercial course for girls. These provide a course which gives the pupil a pass to the intermediate standard and a good start towards the technical college diploma. In the domestic science course girls take two years and three years of commercial, such as shorthand, typing, book-keeping, etc. In the ease of pupils who leave the commercial course to go on to high school, French and the ordinary academic subjects to the intermediate certificate are taught. “All pupils who enter the high schools have to sit for a high school entrance examination. This year 16,000 pupils sat for 3000 places available. The available places were allocated to the pupils with the highest marks. The other pupils go to other types of schools where they are further developed along technical and other lines. “In the case of country schools pupils who have failed to obtain a pass to the high school, or whose parents cannot, afford the five-year course, go to a super-primary top and take the seventh and eighth class subjects. This takes them to about 14 years of age and gives manual training for the boys and domestic science for the girls. This class of super-primary education has been developed generally, but agricultural classes have not generally proved popular. Efforts are now being made to get a thoroughly qualified staff to make the rural school the success it should be. In certain schools where, trained men are in charge of the work, as for instance, Wagga and Carlingford, success has been made, and this year some response is expected under organizers who will assist the smaller schools. “The policy of the Government is to attend to a system of residential agricultural high schools as they give the best results. The technical and commercial courses are very popular, but agricultural training has not met with the same favour.”

Mr Drummond commented on the excellence of the school buildings in New Zealand and on the extreme neatness of the grounds. He said that he was particularly impressed with the steam heating used in the schools, and considered that it was an excellent idea.