A NEW PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 145998, 3 December 1917, Page 5

A NEW PARLIAMENT.

AND A NEW EDUCATIONAL Si'STEM. In addressing a meeting of the Women's Social Investigation League ia Wellington on Thursday upon educational matters, Miss Edith Howes drew an interesting picture of what might happen should New Zealand get a Parliament in which men were dominated by a passion for the future welfare of their country. Undoubtedly, Miss Howes considered, we would get some, shocks should that over happen. It was certain that there was a great deal of dissatisfaction in regard to educational methods in this country, and probably if we had men in Parliament of this calibre education would be one of the things in which they would take an active interest.

Turning to the primary schools those men would find in Now Zealand tho largest classes given to one teacher of any country in the world. Throughout the Dominion they would see classes in which the children numbered anything from forty up lo ninety. Bccii_CP of the overwhelming number of subjects they would see teachers rushing to overtake the syllabus, and anything like moral training and character forming was practically out of the question. The more the teacher, weary, nervc-wrackcd, and worn with the tremendous struggle, saw the need of moral training tho more disheartened she became with the work that fell so far short of her ideal-all because she was asked to do the work of two or three people. On the mental side of things ns they so often are, children had no time to learn for themselves; they must bo taught—there was no time for finding out, for exploring for themselves, for correcting their failures. Tho tremendous amount of mechanical work to be done in such large classes eliminated the self-expression of tho pupil. Instead of children being turned out alert, keen, ready to go on by themselves, they had been so lectured, so taught, so talked to, that their brains bad been dulled, and they bad lost all mental independence. From a physical point of view, because of these large classes, children were crowded together, so that tho teacher could have them under the control of her eyes and her voice in a very limited space. They wore horded together in wicked little desks, in poisoned air, with dire physical results sometimes. It was these results that medical inspectors had to cope with very often. If this Parliament composed of men who were entirely dominated by their zeal for the welfare of their country started work, those abuses would be swept away, but the country would get many shocks. It would be found necessary to double the staffs of the schools and also to double the accommodation. They might oven think it necessary that the profession of teaching should bo raised by paying teachers salaries commensurate with their calling. Teachers should bo drawn from the licet type in the community; they should bo trained before beginning to experiment upon the delicate plastic material of childhood. These men who bad such ideals would consider that souls were as valuable as bodies. If people demanded it, continued Miss Howes. Parliament would bo willing to take that point of view of their duties. Unfortunately people had not demanded it. although there was such groat dissatisfaction. If a real old-time crusade were started and some fervid Peter told the people that their children were in hands that hod no conception of tho sacred ness of their duties, they would then realise that tho foundation' of our education should be utterly changed hr doubling the staffing and doubling the accommodation of our schools.