EDUCATION MATTERS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14131, 10 February 1910, Page 7

EDUCATION MATTERS.

CONFERENCE AT WELLINGTON. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON,- Feh. 10. Forty-five delegates arc attending the general educational conference which opened to-day, Inspector-General Hogbon presiding. The Minister of Education, Hon. Geo. Fowlds, in welcoming the delegates said this was tho first occasion on which it had been attempted to hold n conference representing all the forms of educational effort in tho public service of tho do-minion-primary, secondary, technical and higher education. Education- in New Zealand had now reached a point at which it became absolutely necessary to review tho work of the various stages in relation to each other and to tho general wants of the community. Its primary object was co-ordination of the parts in such a way that each would serve its own special purpose, leaving nothing undone that ought to be done for that purpose, and doing nothing superfluous in the overlapping of the" facilities and tho consequent duplication of cost without n corresponding benefit to the paying public. From time to time criticisms of tho efficiency of the'educational system were heard, possibly in many instances with but slight foundations and little knowledge of the real conditions. Whether such criticisms were justified or not it would ho tho duty of the conference to do its share to secure that no legitimate demand to bring the education provided into closer accordance nith tho requirements of the various classes in community remains unsatisfied Ho also referred to the constitution of tho conference, which wns general only b> wav of distinction from oilier educational conferences and that it was esnecinllv sought to elicit an opinion expressed in tho light of professional experience. WRT Feh. 10. Air. Hogben said there bad been many theories ns to the basis of coordination in education. The ideal that appealed to him was t h at ot social euicionev. He hold that if they properly connected education with the life of the community, they would co-ordinate the several parts of the education system with one another in a most effective manner. They must, of cour.se, take as wide a view as possible of the life of the community and not limit themselves to tho consideration of merely external conditions. In other words, thev should train the individual to a state each for his proper work. During a discussion on_ the work of primary schools, Air. Petrie (Auckland) said he considered the better schools in New Zealand wero not only cental to the better schools of Australia, hut hotter than the same class of schools in Great Britain. He - thought the school hours, for the three higher classes at least, should be extended, a suggestion which did not meet with tho approval of several other speakers. It was also contended that more attention should be given to the teaching of grammar.