EDUCATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12404, 23 August 1918, Page 6

EDUCATION.

* CONFERENCE CONTINUED. UNITY OF CONTROL DISCUSSED. The conference on education convened by the Board of Governors of Canterbury College was continued at the new lecture ball, Canterbury College, last evening, Mr H. D. Aclaud (chairman of the board) presiding over a fair - attendance of delegates. UNFIT OF CONTROL. Air C. J). Hardie (inspector of schools) presented a paper entitled i ‘ A Idea for Unity of Control of (Secondary (Post-lTimary) Education in Christchurch.'’ Jn tho course of his paper -Mr Hardie said that, while roiortu was ‘‘in tho air,” there were many practical issues to bo decided. There was imperative) necessity for safeguarding tho interests of’youth during the adolescent period- He referred to tho lack of unity and! Sometimes ol sympathy and understanding, between the primary and secondary education systems A Lore must bo continuity in the educational system, and the dislocations which at present existed inflicted hardship and disadvantages upon the young. If unnecessary overlapping could bo avoided, and if tho various secondary schools in tho city were each to bend its energies to that work for which it was best suited, much benefit inust result. To relieve existing institutions and meet further demands. a new school should bo erected in the city, on the lines of the Tyneside Supplementary School, conducted under control of tho Edinburgh High School. The controlling authority m Christchurch should bo either an entirely new body, controlling all educational activity, or the Board of Governors of Canterbury College, which was well suited by reason of its rich endowments and efficient administration. to undertake, th 3 task. . Dealing briefly with these endowments,. Mr Hardie said that the fact that the Bovs' High School had ten times us rich an endowment as the Girls’ High School showed tho ideas of the relative importance of the education of men and of women prevailing in the early days of the province. H 0 outlined tho history of secondary and technical education in Christchurch, and said that a secondary education system in Imo with modern needs must, make tullor provision for the training of MrU A supplementary school such as ~ tho speaker had suggested would relievo the present strain on the accommodation oi tho Boys’ and Girls’ High .-chools, the secondary department of ~.e . 'i c , st ' , C-hristcliurch District mb School and tho Technical Col lego. Ho made a. plea for as wide an outlook as possible in matters or education. Schooling was not the whole ot education, and there was need of bringing school and home into closer co-operation as educative agencies. School took only 30 per cent of a boy s waking hours, and in the other <0 per cent of Jus time, other influences were at work upo n him. Tho speaker deprecated the judging of an educational svstom from the point of view of its production of wago-caruing efficiency. tho aim of vocational training so tar as it made for hotter workmen and a bettor scale of living, was to bo commended, but a liberal education was necessary, with a far wider outlook. to lit the child for life. Liter*, tnro, civics and history must have full recognition in, any course set out for secondary education.

In conclusion, Mr Hnrdie said ho had not 101 mulcted any motion or remit on the subject his only object beTr V—iV tllc su,) i p( ' t ventilated. c / lr , -Martin (chief agricultural inf ructor) suggested that a committee should be set up to give further consideration to the issues raised in Mr xiardto a very practical paper. p er . ?i .speaker favoured tho idea that Lie Education Board should control ml education below the university with a rotprmed constitution, in which lOur members should bo elected bv school, committees, ono member should icpresont rural interests, ono member should vep; esont- city interests, two members should represent primarv teachers, one member the technical school teachers, one member the secondary school teachers, and ono member representing the university, a tuellth member being iho chief inspector for the district.

i Hon : e i- 1 . (principal of Christchurch technical College) said that Mr Hardics proposal, if put into effect, would rovchitioni.se education by making- secondary education commence at about the ago of twelve. In tlio matter of control, the speaker feared that to further enlarge the scope of the Canternary v. allege Board of Governors would react prejudicially on university administration.

-Mr W Brock (Inspector of Schools) commended Mr Mardie's proposal that each secondary school should undertake a special sort of teaching. This would involve the institution of one bodv to control all education in the district which would solve the problems of eontuuiitv and co-operatiou. He hoped to see a School of Education established in connection with Canterbury College. " ft was, and when one body controlled all education, they could find sonio educational authority of high standing to act as director of education tor the whole district.

rile lion J, Barr (Technical College) supported Mr Martin's proposal that a committee should be sot up to consider those matters, aud agreed that reorganisation of education administration was necessary in order to bring to an end a system under which schools competed against each other to get pupils. Mr W. M. Hamilton (Council of Mucation) urged that a- strong and representative committee should b e set up, and moved that the committee should consist of :the Mayor of Christchurch, the Hon G. W. Russell, M.P., the Hon J. Barr. M.L-.C., the chairman and registrar of Canterbury College, the chairman and secretary of the Canterbury Education Board, the chairman and director of Christchurch Technical College, the Christchurch representatives on the Council of Education, the president and secretary of tho North Canterbury Educational Institute, the head master of the Boys’ High School, and the president of the School Commutes’ Association, tho committee to report to a sittings of the conference next year.

Dr 0. Chilton (Professorial Board) said ho did not think it desirable that primary education should cease at the ago of twelve, but. if Air Hanbo's new school was to bo in the nature of a continuation to the primary school with something iu the nature of vocational training, it should prove a very useful typo- He favoured local control as against centralisation. Centralisation had robbed the existing boards and committees of so many powers that the public did not worry much about who v.;as elected to these bodies. The essential thing about the constitution of an educational controlling body was not that it should equitably represent interests, but that it should consist, of men who knew something about education and had enthusiasm for the matter Mr S. K, Dickinson (principal of'St Andrews College) said that, all these proposals hinged on men and monev, and without an educated public opinion he ieared they would not get the monev to pui. Air Hurdle s proposals into operation. He suggested that a committee of conference of four education experts should bo set up to draft practical pro" posals., t to be presented in conjunction with tne resolution arrived at. bv the conference on the motion of Mr Q. p Aschman.

Air Hardie at this stage said that a committee which might prove a very suitable one had been proposed bv a sect ional | committee whose renort had not yet been presented. The" committee thus proposed consisted 0 f |> r Hi gilt, Messrs W. Brocket'. I>, . <l. T. Aschman, I:’. T. Ih-aui. ,j yA

Purchas, J. H. Howell and Misses Gibson and Chaplin. Mr H. D. Broadhend (I’rofosaorinl Board) said that unity of control and continuity of curriculum were as important in one stage of education as another, and ho could not see why the discussion should hang on one particular phase and period of the system. Mr A, I’cvorill (School Committees’ Association) seconded Mr Hamilton’s motion pro forma. Mr Howell asked Air Hamilton to accept an addition to the motion requiring the committee to impure, into the administrative system in other counttries.

Mr Hamilton accepted the amend rnent.

Mr H, Langford (Technical College) said that the Education Boards should include representatives of the Department ol Education and of the, inspectors of schools, Ho moved as an amendment to Mr Hamilton’s motion that Air Tlardm’s suggested committee should deal with tlio matter. The amendment was not secondedAH PevenTl, who, according to the ;>gonaa paper, was later to move—that nil secondary and technical high schools should bo controlled by their respective Education Boards/’ spoke in support ol that remit, the subject being covered by Mr Hardio's paper. He proceeded to discuss the difference between primary school and secondary school curricula, and advocated unity of control a.g the best means of obviat>ng gaps and overlaps. Mr H. Worrall (Workers’ Educational Association) criticised Mr AJartin s proposed representation for Education Boards, on the ground that the representation was all of the employing class. It would be well in reorganising educational control if the working people as a class were asked to send one representative: Ho expressed his hearty appreciation of Air Hardin's paper, and his approval of the proposals therein contained. Air AV. Jones (School Committees’ Association) spoke in support of Air Hardic s proposals, on the ground that they would be of immense benefit to children of working people. Air E. J. Howard (Workers’ Educational Association) said he had derived I * l ’ K 'b benefit from Air Hardie’s paper. \yiiat was needed now was consideration by a committee, and the formulation of concrete proposals which should bo submitted to the judgment of the present coiuorenco. Next rear was too tar away.

Air S. R. Dickinson proposed as an amendment—"That a committee be set up to define tho scope of the various stages oi education, indicating the best means of effecting co-ordination between them,'’ and further that the committee suggested by Air llardie should undertake tho task and report to conference.

Mr Hardin, in reply, Raid that' his new school would lie distinctly a. continuation school and not a secondary school. He had no firm convicitions regarding the details of constitution of the governing authority. 1 he name of Mr S. 11. Dickinson was added to the committee, and with this addition Mr Dickinson’s amendment was carried.

TRAINING COMMITTEES REPORT. The Training Sub-committee, after considering remits, reported, recommending that this conference recognises the good work done by training colleges, but emphasises the necessity for jurther extension, so that all teachers both in public and in private schools could receive adequate training; that the conference congratulates the Board of Governors of Canterbury College on the steps which have been taken towards establishing a School of Education, and hopes that the Ixwrd will make such generous provision as will enable such school to take equal rank with the other professional schools of the university; that the conference recommends the controlling authorities of manual and technical education to request the establishment of short courses at the training college or of summer schools for the training of teachers of manual and technical subjects. The report was presented by Mr W. Brock, who moved its adoption. After a short discussion tho recommendations were agreed to. The conference adjourned till Tuesday, September 17, at 7.30 p.m.