AGRICULTURAL BIAS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 662, 14 May 1929, Page 14

AGRICULTURAL BIAS

AUCKLAND TUESDAY, MAY 14, 1929.

PROMISE OF EDUCATION REFORM MR. ATMORE’S POLICY (From Our Reagent Reporter.) WELLINGTON, To-day. A determination to reorganise the education system, giving it a strong agricultural bias, was indicated by the Minister of Education, the Hon. H. Atmore, speaking to the New Zealand Educational Institute to-day. “TJNEMPLOYMENT ill New Zealand today is largely the result of our education system,” said Mr. Atmore. “You cannot get away from the fact ! that we are taking the bright brains ! in the towns and harnessing them for I town occupations. We do worse than j than —we take the brightest brains I from the country into the cities. We | have to get past the idea that it takes more brains to make a successful clerk | than it does to make a successful j farmer.”

As part of his programme, Mr. Atmore said there would be a unification of the local administrative bodies in the vai-ious districts and a unification of the sectional teaching bodies employed in primary, secondary and technical schools. Agriculture would be given greater prominence in the schools’ curricula. The standard of physique among the concerned, he had the principles firmly school children could not be excelled in any part of the world, said the Minister. There was nothing wrong with the teachers, either. They were a loyal and devoted band, who had the welfare of the children at heart. He felt sure that they would recognise that the situation called for co-opera-tion on the part of everybody. So far as the proposed reorganisation was fixed in his mind and they would be put into operation, but on a good many points it was necessary that he should have the advice of the teachers. The Minister said he was not in favour of an expert being given administrative power. There was always a danger when that was done. He recognised he had very capable advisers around him, but that did not mean he would follow their advice on every occasion. His consideration was for the million and a-half people in New Zealand, and his decision would al ways be given according to what he thought was in the interests of the whole, and not in the interests of one particular section. The two portfolios in the Cabinet which should be most intimately connected were those of education and agriculture, and the Minister hoped there would be a strong agricultural bias in the new system. The social status of the farmer must he raised. It must be looked upon as an occupation that required the best brains in New Zealand.

SMALL CLASSES WANTED Press Association WELLINGTON, Monday. At the New Zealand Educational Institute’s opening session this afternoon Mr. A. J. C. Hall, of Auckland, in his presidential address, conjured up a vision of the future based on an ideal of an educated nation. He said that one of the first and most obvious developments would be found in the victory of real education over mass instruction. With smaller classes it -would be possible for a skilled teacher to show what real teaching could do.