PUBLIC SCHOOLS
HOLDING OF ESSAY COMPETITIONS ABOLITION OF PRACTICE DESIRED By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, April 25. A request that it discontinue the holding of essay competitions in schools was received by the Education Board from the Auckland Headmasters’ Association, which said that its members had expressed the view that such competitions in public schools in subjects of the curriculum were wrong in principle except, perhaps, in games. Judgment on essays could not be made with anything near mathematical accuracy as a great deal depended on the taste end training of the judge. The Anzac Banner competition was a case in point. It was also known, said the Association that pupils with retentive memories were quite capable of memorising essays prepared by someone else. There was a consensus of opinion that some at least of the essays submitted in competitions were really the work of older minds. It was felt that essay competitions did not make a constructive contribution to the aims and methods of the primary schools, and might very well be discontinued. Board members generally agreed with these views. The chairman said that if any more applications were received for permission to conduct essay contests they could be dealt with on their merits.
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Bibliographic details
Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19783, 26 April 1934, Page 8
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204PUBLIC SCHOOLS Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19783, 26 April 1934, Page 8
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