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Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 562, 27 November 1915, Page 8

The Department of Education has long needed some reorganising, and it is good to learn from our Wellington correspondent that the Hon. J. A. Hanan has accepted the opportunities given him with the portfolio of Education for carrying out a "springcleaning." llis intention of making the educational policy and the financial administration two distinct ibranches of the department is as wise I as it is necessary in consideration of the rapid growth of educational facilities. It is needful, too, that those officers who are concerned with improving the methods and standards of education should be enabled to formulate their ideas, knowing that the business side of the department will consider their practicability in regard to expenditure. Quite apart from the business management there 'are some not unimportant questions of educational policy which the Minister might keep in mind when appointing the Assistant-Director of Education; such as, for instance, the need for the standardisation of school text-books and teaching methods throughout the country, and the improvement of the quality of school books. At present the history books of the primary schools are merely absurd, giving the child no real idea of the nature of historical development, and the school readers l'or all classes are worse. They seem to be compiled with the idea that the growing boy or girl is merely an infaut in intelligence, and in their literary quality they compare very unfavourably with the school books of the parents and grandparents. It is also time that some attention was given to the proper teaching of-New Zealand history.