SCHOOL BOOKS.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15886, 26 July 1923, Page 5

SCHOOL BOOKS.

DEPARTMENT’S ATTITUDE. TOO MANY VARIETIES. Mr PI. Strong, Senior Inspector of Secondary Schools, interviewed' by a N.Z. Times reporter, stated that the department contended that the action would reduce considerably the cost of books to some parents.

They had selected the Luoks which were nearly suited to the New Zealand school syllabus, and the Gazette notice would i'cst.G *t the choice of teachers to those books. In most cases, in fact almost all over New Zealand, the books mentioned in the authorised list w r ere in use, for instance the progressive arithmetic, thq Pacific Geography, and the Lessons in English. Investigation showed that a number of different books were being used in the various educational districts, and consequently when a child moved from school to school it was put to the necessity of purchasing different books. In the interests of the parents it was necessary to restrict the choice of the teachers to those books which most nearly met the needs of the present system. The effect of the ukase would be that teachers would not be permitted to require children to buy a text book to wffiieh they took a fancy. “A FREE HAND.”

Questioned on this point, Mr Strong stated that in the past) the teachers had had practically a free hand in the matter of books. There was a large number of different books in use in different parts of the Dominion. And there were in existence books (specially written for the New Zealand school syllabus, catering for its needs. Commenting on the various books to illustrate the effect of the change Mr Strong said that in the case of the progressive copy books, which vere now superseded, most teachers taught writing by hand without tho use of a copy book at all. In this case the New Zealand books were cheaper than the ones imported. No other arithmetic, as far as he knew, had been used in the Dominion save the one now duly authorised. As regards the geography book, he fancied himself safe in saying that here, also, there was no other book in use. The department had decided that the readers in the standards should be’ provided free as from the end of the year, and no pupil would be required to buy a miscellaneous reader. The School Journal would take the place of the miscellaneous reader and supplementary continuous readers would be provided free as in the past. Jn the infant classes where miscellaneous readers were used they would be affected, but the cost of them was very small. The authorised history book, “The Story of the British Nation,” was in use in a number of schools in several districts, but he was not quite sure how many. “GREATLY INCREASED.”

. As for the necessity of a change, Mr Strong remarked that the percentage of unauthorised books in use in New Zealand had increased very greatly of. recent years. The booksellers, he averred, had known that this change was coming.

“They may not have had any definite written notification from the department,” he said, “but the matter has been discussed with the Booksellers’ Association on many occasions. In any case they had six clear months in which to dispose of their stock. The department further had under consideration the question of producing text-books itselt and selling them at cost price, hut the magnitude of the undertaking was so great that any action was was out of the question at present.