EDUCATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13280, 8 May 1907, Page 6

EDUCATION.

THE MINISTER INTERVIEWED. A representative of the "Timaru Herald : ' had an interview yesterday afternoon wiJi tire Minister of Education as lie was on his way to the south. The subject which is to bring Mr Fowlds to Timaru next Tuesday—technical education—was touched upon, with rtfcreiiei to

:s brunch which has not been taken much notice of;in South Canterbury,. but which, as this is an agricultural district, one would think should have first place. Asfed what, is baring done in the North Island, where agricultural instruction lias ber-n taktn in hand to some extent, Mr Fowlds said that the Auckland and Wanganui Educatioii Boards had each -appointed a social instructor, who gives lessons to u.aeheiii at .-uitable centivs on Saturdays, and givey demonstration lessons to children in the .schools. The Board of Education cvndr.cts, tLrungh the instructor, txanunations of ihe. teachers, and issues certiEcat'.s of competency to teach, a braucii or branches of the subject. Mr FoAirls vairt he had not an intimate personal knowledge of what was Truing done in those cases, but lie rnderstood that satisfactoiy rt.-nlts were being attained, in view of the short time the system had been in use. To a suggestion that Canterbury, North and South, ought above ail -di.v.riets> to give attention to this branch "of technical education, Mi - Fowlds repliedthat Auckland could claim to be an agricultural district also.

The demands for for lechnical education, eaid the Minister, weregrowing, and it was therefore desirable •.o make sure thnt what was being done was worth its cost, and was the best that ."•culd be doue. He looked for some useful guidance from tlie results of the researches of Mr Hogben, who Jnul gene Home to look into modern methods of education there, not tcchuical education only, !>:it primary and secondary education also. As Mi* Hog ben had at the head - of the Ni-w Zealund system for some years, he would b.i able to mako comparisons between our system and others, as no one <lsi> could, and Ills advk-e on his returr should be vetv valuable. Till-: "SCHOOL JOURNAL."

" Rave yon seen the ne*.v -School Journal?" asked Mr Fowlds, and tlie pursuit of this subject led to some interesting remarks abouti it. Mr Fowkfe hopes that the "' Ji.urnal" will put an end to compkiints about the cost of rending book';. The "Journal" will be supplied free to .-.1! pupils in the primary schools, in its three monthly parts, on* part for each child i:; purs of standards. There will ly- no ac u;il ned t<> pve.-orve tlie parts !though the* children ttjl' be enc«)uraged to do >oj ,-'3 the ])ublication of new numbers, will b* c-ontinuovs. Teachers will he recommended to note lcrson;- which (her have proved to'.bo particularly well suited for the respective clashes, and these may be reproduced a year or two later for another generation of children in those classes. Arrangements have been made with the r.rr.nrretnr'' of weeklv papers for the use of any suitable articles they may publish from timo to time, and some of them have

i!n-kr:;ikfn to giro the use of their photoprint blocks, if the Department should de-ci-.lt- 10 iJliiKtrsti.-. the " Journal," a point which is already under consideration. Arrangements will also be made, with the proprietors of magazines for the reproduction, of suitable articles, and the whole field of literature fre;<l from copyright will be available to be- drawn 'upon. Mr Fowlds anticipates- th.it the ' Journal'' will be popular as a leader, and he agreed with a that tho acquisition of the reading matter in unall, instalments will excite curicsiity as to '.die contents of each raijnber, that may In.-lp not a little to entourage the practice of privates reading. Mr Spencer, the editor, said Mr Fowlds, is a thoroughly modern educationist, with a strong belief in the value of nature study, and articles aiding or tending in the direction of that study will be a strong feature of the Journal. Contributions will be invited, and paid for, from persons who possess the art of writing for. children oil local subject?-, and he hopes that the "Journal" will be> made redolent of the atmosphere of the colony.