JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS

Wairarapa Age, 6 October 1926, Page 5

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS

MINISTER’S ATTITUDE. PURELY A MATTER OF FINANCE SCHEME IN SUSPENSE. * The junior high school proposal was the subject of further, comment yesterday when the Hon. R. A. Wright (Minister of Education) visited the Wairarapa High School to address the pupils. Dr. G. H. Uttlcy (Principal) after thanking the Minister for his address, stated that during the last few weeks many opinions had been circulated regarding the junior high school system, aad quite a of them had departed from the true principles of the scheme. Through the misconception of a statement by the Minister while at Blenheim. a wrong impression had got -JJ abroad regarding Mr. Wright’s attitude towards the scheme. The position was, said the speaker, that if Mr. Wright had the money at his disposal he would have gone on with the scheme. Unfortunately all Government departments had been given inat ructions to retrench. It had to be understood, however, that the scheme had merely been suspended and nor jettisoned. The United States, Canada, Scotland and Wales all favoured the piomotion of the junior high school, while New Zealand experts had declared themselves also in support. It had been suggested, continued Dr. Uttley, that the same objective might be attained by a revision of the present methods of primary instruction. This, to his mind, would be a retrograde step, and he sincerely hoped there would be no tinkering with the primary department which would undermine the whole system. This had * been tried in England, Wales and also New Zealand, and had been found unsuccessful. What was required under the proposed new system was to provide a new environment for scholars at the age of twelve years. At this period a psychological and physical change was taking place, and specialised teachers and smaller classes were required to cultivate the awakening faculties and discover the natural tendencies of the scholars. Under present primary education, many children finished "their schooling at the sixth standard, and found their way into blind-alley occupations, but with the establishment of the junior high school the present fifth and sixth standard scholars would be .taken and trained especially for the retentions for which they showed particular inclination. At present there were 270 scholars attending the High School and of this number eighty had applied to ait for matriculation. This state of affairs was dominating present day secondary education and it was time it was stopped. It should be remembered that secondary teachers were not purely academic instructors, but were also qualified to give instruction in technical subjects. Even if pupils were contemplating engaging in farming or skilled trades they required a certain amount of cultural education. In reply Mr. Wright reiterated his statements made the day before regarding his attitude towards the junior high school movement. He was net opposed ttl the principle of the scheme, but it was purely a matter of the available finance. According to the extra amount which would be required for the scheme, primary schools would have denied the money to which they were justly entitled to, and he felt sure that no one wished that state of affairs to occur. In any new proposal or experiment such as this he held to the old method of having the assured money in hand to carry the scheme to a successful issue. If they reached the happy position of having sufficient money available he would be preparea to carry out what the experts recoil mended, but he emphatically would attempt to make “bricks without straw M for anybody. He assured titan that the matter had merely been suspended for twelve months.