CORRESPONDENCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 3303, 29 April 1885, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

HIGH SCHOOLS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMARU HERALD. Sin, — Would you kindly afford me space to make some remarks on the subject of the High Schools of our colony, and to point out what appears to me to be a defect m their management. First let us inquire for what purposo were the High Schools founded ? If I am rightly informed it was to carry on education at tho point where the primary achools stopped, and to enable the poor man, as well as the rich, to give the best education possible to his children at the lowest cost. Have theßO conditions been fulfilled ? I fear not. It is a well-known fact that m many of our High Schools thore are pupils who have not passed the third standard, m some instances not even the second, and if inquiries were mado it would be found that these pupils are tho children of well-to-do parents, who think it more respectable to send their children to the High than to the primary schools. If on social grounds they object to sending them to the public primary schools, then let them send them to private schools until thoy can pass an examination equal to the fourth standard at loast, for it is not fair that the time of the teachers should bo taken up m teaching such pupils, when even a pupil teacher is capable of teaching these m a primary school. It may bo said "they bring grist to tho mill," they pay for their education m the High Schools. True, but that is not the question. And now, may I ask, why has tho Timaru High School altered its hours of opening from 10 to 9.30 ? By so doing it prevents many country pupils coming to it. Since the change was made it has lost twelve country pupils. Many of the trains arriving m Timaru don't come m till after 10 o'clock, and every half -hour would be of consequenco to country pupils. I hope, therefore, the Board of Governors will givo this matter their serious consideration. Our educational system — maintained m this .colony at great public expense — should be so arranged that tho child of the poorest man, if he have the ability, should be enabled to go to the top of the ladder m the matter of education, and no obstacles should be thrown m his way. At the last general olection m a great many constituencies the electors as well as the candidates expressed very strongly their opinion that the reserves belonging to the High Schools should be sold, and the money set apart for tho purposes of primary education, because these schools, maintained at the public cost, were of no advantage to country children, and that the towns where thoy were situated alono derived all the benefit. Thero was some truth m the statement, and it is m tho hopo of directing public attention to tho subject, with a view of rectifying any apparent defects m tho system, that I pen theso thoughts. It appears to mo that to make those High Schools as highly efficient and useful as possible, and to make them available for country pupils, it would be a wise thing for the Government to givo free railway passes to pupils living m tho country districts adjacent to a railway who wish to avail themselves of tho advantage of attending these High Schools. I am now writing to the Minister of Public Works on the subject, and I hope ho will — on public grounds— see his way to adopt my suggestion. The more I think over the matter, the more I am convinced of the necessity for making these High Schools available to 'a large number of our rising generation. One of the greatest needs for New Zealand or any other country having universal or manhood suffrage, is a link of education between the best cultivated and those who have only received a primary education. Our future legislators will bo tho sons of our colonists, and it will be our highest wisdom to do all we can to train and fit them for ruling and directing the destiny of our adopted country. The wise Aristotle said " That whoever meditates on the art of governing men will perceive that it depends on the education of children." Apologising for the length of this letter, I am, &c, : - T. Ja»peb Sjtsth. Pleasant Point, April 28th, 1885.