A BAD TENDENCY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14483, 3 July 1911, Page 3

A BAD TENDENCY.

0 MULTIPLICATION OF SMALL SCHOOLS. REMARKS AT TEACHERS' INSTITUTE. At the meeting of the South Canterbury Teachers' institute on Saturday, tho question of tho centralisation of country schools was disseused, on a letter written by Miss McCarthy, who considered that the schools should bo centralised as much as possible, as it { was bad both for teachers and pupils I to have a multiplicity, of small schools. j She referred especially to the uudesir- ! able environments in which a lady j teacher of a small school in the backblocks often found herself. Tho loneliness and isolation could not have a good effect on her work. Mr Ferguson said the multiplication of small schools was against the best interests of education. To have a school of two teachers was very much better than to have two schools of one teacher each. That was axiomatic. (Hear, hear.) Mr Stewart spoke to similar effect, and said there was hardly any check on tho multiplication of small schols in New Zealand. If any particular district considered it should have a school it had onlv to agitate for about i IS months and it would get it. i Mr Ferguson : Yes, especially if near i election time. Mr Stewart referred to the new i school now being asked for in Timaru, 1 and said that whether it was needed I or not those ask'ing for it would get it i if thev agitated for a year or 18 j month's. On tbo motion of Mr Ferguson, seconded by Mr Stewart, the following motion was carried—" That this meeting of the South Canterbury Educational Institute would rnaffirm _Us opinion that tho unnecessary multiplication of small schools is nn educational evil, and that the system or conveyance of pupils to schools should bo given n good trinl in this district."