THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 1929. AN EDUCATIONAL FAD?

Wairarapa Age, 21 March 1929, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 1929. AN EDUCATIONAL FAD?

A point of great importance with re- ■ gard to the proposed development of : the junior high school system in this country is made by the “Lyttelton Times” in a leading article. “Unfor-i tunately, } ’ it observes, ‘ 1 Mr Atmore J has little of a practical nature to go ■ on in making a decision concerning < junior high schools, for the ‘expert- : mentis’ made with them in New Zea- < land appear to have been very costly,: while, as far as can be discovered, the ; results attained have not been of a 1 very startling nature. ’ 1 Presumably : what our contemporary and a good: many other people are asking for is a ■ statement of the grounds on which it is < proposed to develop the junior high i school system in New Zealand. In his last, conference with the Dominion Executive of the New Zealand Educa- , tional Institute (reported in “Nation- - al Education” in March), the Minis- i ter of Education .said that he wias ‘ 1 in- < dined very strongly towards the junior • high school system, 1 ’ but it is, as far ( as we know, strictly true that no one . has seriously attempted to show that , this system is worthy of adoption in • New Zealand. . Lest there should be any* anisiiu’derstanding, it must at once be added that • the need of securing a better articu-' lation between primary and 'secondary ' education is admitted all. but universal; • ly. It does not by any means follow; however, that the development of the junior high school system is the only solution of this very vital problem. The present position is that serious and weighty objections have been raised to the development of the junior high school system, and that little, if anything, has been set against these objections. • Against the establishment of further junior high schools, it is urged that While thev would be very costly, they are probably unnecessary, and that the efficiency of the primary schools would be impaired very seriously by the proposed decapitation process which is 1 incidental to the establishment of junior high schools. This last point had been taken up vigorously by the Dominion Executive of the Farmers’ Union before the Masterton branch of th'e New Zealand Educational Institute had passed the resolution of : protest which has thus far been en- ;

doused and supported by throe other I branches—North Taranaki, Manawatu and South Canterbury. It is further! urged by opponents of the hasty development of the junior high school system that in all likelihood the objects aimed at can be attained effi- t ciently and economically by an im- ( proved organisation of the primary ( schools, in which more liberal staffing { and a reduction of the size of classes j would be leading features. Here is a ( positive policy, offering a complete alternative to the extension of the j junior high school system, and one!, which certainly should be tried outij before it is discarded in favour of a|. doubtful experiment. We are not con-• corned meantime to elaborate this al-1 ternative policy. The point to be made,] at the moment is that while this alternative policy has been stated clearly and given wide publicity, no authori- ! tative attempt has been made to show L that it is unsound or that there is al better case to be made out for the de- ■ velopment of the junior high school) system. -