OVER-GENEROUS’

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 108, 10 May 1933, Page 11

OVER-GENEROUS’

FREE PLACE SYSTEM SOME WARNING NOTES ALTERNATIVE SUGGESTED WELLINGTON, May 9. “Among teachers, and probably in the circles iu which they usually move, there is a fixed benevolent attitude towards the long-continued education at the State’s expense,” said Air. W. G. Aldridge, M.A., in his presidential ad dress at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Technical School Teachers’ Association this morning. “Indeed, most New Zealanders on the right ride of 40 can hardly avoid coming to icgard free education from the primary school to the university almost as a birthright. But of late teachers have recognised real notes oi warning in the attempts to raise the standard of the Proficiency pass in 1931, the National Expenditure Commission’s desire to determine senior free places at 17 years of age, the compulsory intermediate test, and the practical disappearance of the university buisary. ” Until 30 years ago, he said, few could receive free secondary education; scholarships were few, and other free places fewer and of brief duration. There was then a sudden outpouring of enthusiasm in favour of in creasing opportunities of this sort and of relating them more definitely to the realities of life. The results were felt first in the technical schools, then in existence, and subsequently caused additional technical schools to spring up, finally embracing the high schools also. No real limitation was set to the number of free places provided, the ideal being to place education within the reach of all. The ideal was splendid, but, in practice, rather undiscriminating. “The first phase, one of boundless faith and broadening opportunity, has worn itself out, I think,’.’ the president continued, “and the time of criticism has arrived.” It was easy at this stage to fall into two errors: Some would restrict the expenditure on education, others would impose a written examination test. The problem, however, could rarely be solved as simply as that. Free Places Should Continue To the critic who believed that education opportunities were too wide in New Zealand he would admit that many pupils either stayed at school too short a time to receive real benefit, or spent too long in a course in which they could not hope to succeed. He would commend any efforts to secure a saving of public money by remedying those two faults, but on many counts he would urge that the free place system should remain. Parents had an absolute faith in high school education; social workers and thinkers were unanimous that grave ills were in store for a country which provided neither discipline nor employment for its youth; and keen students of industry proclaimed that New Zealand had always needed more workers of greater skill, whereas fewer learners than ever were now being trained outside the schools. “Undistinguished Awards” 4 ‘To the advocate of an examination test I would say that we already have too many undistinguished educational awards in this country,” continued Air. Aldridge. There were many flaws in the examination system and as an improvement he suggested examina tions as follows: — (a) Certificates.— (1) Junior school entrance, after form IL, leading to two years’ free education iu any high school; (2) senior school entrance, after form IV., leading to two years’ further free education; (3) advanced school entrance, as a public proof of a normal secondary course creditably completed, and a title to matriculation at a University college or to one year free in an advanced secondary course; (4) a pass in the credit list of (3) should entitle the holder to a University Bursary, or to a sixth year at a seeoncary school if young enough. (b) Passes.—A succession of progress passes awarded by recommendation in the schools under arrangements approved from time to time by the department’s officers. The awards would indicate that the holder would profit more by transferring to a higher class (or to a senior school) than by re maining at his previous level and repenting the work, but that he was not fitted for competitive examinations. The passes would each have a currency for one years only, up to a total of three years in full-time courses, or five years in part-time courses. (-•) Extensions.—Opportunities for pupils with hardly any discoverable aptitude, who go to school chiefly to

occupy their time before joining some (usually indefinite) occupation. The award would indicate that the holdci was not ready to proceed to work of a higher grade, but had some claim to further school care. The three groups of opportunities corresponded roughly to three easilyrecognisable groups of pupils met wit' and more or loss provided for in every high school. Those in group (c) ha<a particular claim, on tho country’s goodwill. They were particularly hard to place in occupations at present, ex cept through the aid of an employ ment centre, and it was to the State’s advantage to keep a benevolent eye upon them. He submitted that tho scheme offered a much-needed middle course between th over-generous senior free place gift and the alternative of nothing at all, and was in no real sense a departure from the spirit of present regulations.