EDUCATION

Southland Times, Issue 21072, 2 May 1930, Page 8

EDUCATION

POST-PRIMARY WORK

ADDRESS TO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VIEWS OF DR. UTTLEY “You will realize that evolution is at work in science and commerce as well as in animal and vegetable life, but what is not understood to-day is the fact that our education is not advancing as rapidly as science and commerce,” was what Dr G. H. Uttley (Rector of the Southland Boys’ High School) said to the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce when delivering an address on post-primary education yesterday afternoon. The rector was introduced to the members of the Chamber by the president (Mr D. J. Wesney), who said that the chamber was glad to have Dr Uttley at the meeting, andhe was sure the members of the chamber would be pleased to hear what he had to

byEducation was a very wide subject, said Dr Uttley, and he did not intend to deal fully with it. Education to-day was different from what it had been 25 years ago, but while it had made a considerable advance, science had made greater progress in every branch of human activity. When a boy left school at the age of twelve 25 years ago, he could cope with life, but today that was impossible. The minimum of educational requirements at the present time was much higher than those of 25 years ago. There had been a wonderful development in commerce, agriculture and other walks of life, and anyone who admitted that there had been a change in commerce must admit that there would have to be a change in the training of the boys. At one time only- boys who could command a scholarship or boys with parents able to bear the cost of their post-primary education could enter the secondary schools, but for some years past any boy who could pass his proficiency examination could obtain post-primary education. Under the old order, Dr Uttley continued, the training had been purely academic, because the boys who received the training were intended for academic professions, but conditions had radically- altered and the boys who had been trained under the old system had shown that an academic curriculum was not sufficient training for commercial life. There had been big extensions in the post-primary curriculum with the result that the high schools and technical colleges were approaching each other. The technical colleges had first been purely night schools devoted to the training of plumbers and other technical workers. They had then become day schools, and they were rapidly extending into academic subjects, but the high schools were not taking the same advantage of the widening curriculum.

Business Men’s Views. ✓

There had been a commercial course in the Southland Boys’ High School for about 40 years, but was it a course that was meeting the requirements of the business men, who were expected to employ the boys trained in the school? Dr Uttley asked. He had discussed the matter with many business men in other centres and the views expressed were widely divergent. Some business men were of the opinion that rhe boys of to-day were insufficiently trained for a commercial career, while others were of the opinion that the boys were receiving too much education. Tire latter class claimed that the boys would be better to enter the commercial houses or banks at 14 or 16 years of age and receive their training there.

The question to be considered, he said, was whether or not the boy’s training should be purely vocational. Was the boy to learn book-keeping or banking at school, or was he to be given a general training, which would train the mind and adapt him to future requirements? He was in favour of a good general education with English literature and English composition to the fore. What a boy needed in life was the ability to express himself, and if he was trained to express his ideas and write a good letter he would be receiving a training that would be of value to him.

Geography was an essential part of education, Dr Uttley continued. A boy should know his own place in the community, the position of his community in the country, of his country in the Empire, and of the Empire in the world. A thorough knowledge of geography was essential in commercial life, and a boy who knew something of the location and history of the goods handled by the commercial house for which he was working would be of much greater value than the boy who did not. Dealing with actual vocational training, Dr Uttley said that the technical colleges offered that. He wanted to impress upon the members of the chamber that some trades were going out of existence, while other trades and professions were being evolved. If the schools were going to train boys to enter those new professions the only way they could do it would be by giving them a good general education. Most boys had finished their training before they decided what their position in life was going to be, and consequently a wide general knowledge was of the greatest importance to them. Commercial training was confined to book-keeping, shorthand, and correspondence, which were quite good in their way, but more was needed. As far as high school boys were concerned, they had to take a certain number of subjects and very little time was left for special subjects.

Training the Majority. Speaking of his own school, Dr Uttley said that he had 300 boys in the school and only a very small percentage of those boys would go on to the university. The majority of them would* go into commerce or agriculture and they had to be catered for. The question was, how? How was a curriculum to be framed to suit them? The boys required a training that would be useful in after life. Not an academic training, but a training more nearly related to the conditions they would be called upon to face. He was of the opinion that, the boys could be helped by being given th® commercial atmosphere. He wanted to enlist, the sympathy of the business men of the town and get their assistance to give the boys a bird’s-eye view of the commercial life of the town. If the boys could actually see what was going on in business they would settle down more readily when they entered commerce and they would also take a keener interest in the subjects relating to business. Every English boy had a literary and scientific inheritance, Dr Uttley said, and every boy should be given the foundation of those subjects. Every boy should be taught more of science than was taught in the laboratory. He was of the opinion that a knowledge of evolution 'was of importance in education. Evolution was a controversial subject, but every man must know that everything in the world was in the process of evolution, and if boys were given a knowledge of the evolution of life, science and commerce, it would help them to keep abreast of progress in the future. The Use of School Subjects.

There had always been an idea that literary English and commercial English were subjects apart, Dr Uttley continued, but that was a wrong conception because they were both the expression of ideas. There was not enough time given to the teaching of English. It was apt to be crowded out. He would insist on the teaching of history, but not in the old way. It should be taught as a series of movements or events. If the boys were shown the effect of the great movements in history they would take an interest in the subject and it would help them to grasp the present and future national and political movements. Geography had been the Cinderella of the subjects on the curriculum in the past, but that was

not right, for it was a subject of great importance in relation Io commerce. It, also had a direct influence on history. Geography should be taught with reference to the production of articles of commerce in all parts of the world, and then it. would be of value to the boys who entered commerce. In conclusion Dr Uttley spoke of the value of the school spirit as a training in patriotism and the sinking of individualism in the interests of the community. Southland had a high school that could not be equalled in New' Zealand and apart from having a splendid building Southland had a school with 50 years of splendid tradition. He appealed to the chamber to develop the idea that the boys were being .trained to take a place in the community, and therefore it was the duty of the community to take an interest in the boys. The business people could help the teachers and in doing so would help the boys. “I am going to throw out. a suggestion,” said Dr Uttley. “In England and in other parts of the world chambers of commerce have agreed to appoint standing committees to meet the headmasters of postprimary schools to discuss matters which concern the schools and the community. The discussions have been found to be of very great use to both the schools and chambers.” Nothing but good could come out of such a course, he continued. It would not involve much work, but the exchange of ideas would result in good to both sides. He thanked the chamber for having given him the opportunity to address it and said that he would be glad to discuss any of the points reviewed much more fully later if the chamber wished him to do so. Dr Uttley was accorded a vote of thanks on the motion of Mr Wesney, who said that the suggestions put forward had appealed to him very much, and he felt sure that business men in Invercargill would be glad to assist the school in any way possible. The welfare of the bdys under Dr Uttley’s care was of very great interest to them all, and the matter of setting up a standing committee as suggested would be considered bv the chamber.