GOOD CITIZENSHIP

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 116, 20 May 1942, Page 3

GOOD CITIZENSHIP

CHARACTER WORK IN THE SCHOOLS SENIOR TOK’S REBORT “It will generally be conceded that to be a good citizen, one must first possess the common virtues of truthfulness. honesty and obedience to proper iv constituted authority,’’ said Mr. B. N. T. Blake, senior inspector, in al report tabled at the monthly meeting of the Wanganui Education Board yesterday. Mr. Blake’s report was in reply to a request made by the board as to what is being done in the schools of *he Wanganui Education Board district in the way of training children for citizenship. “In a democracy such as ours, however. a good citizen requires also to be literate, to understand and take a part in the system of government under which he* lives, to have a lively regard for his rights and privileges, but no less a regard for his responsibilities, to possess a willingness, if not an urge, to serve his fellow, to be as physically fit as is possible, to be so trained that he can play a competent part in the defence of the country, and finally to have a pride in the value of his own labours as a contribution to the <ommon welfare.” continued the report. “This enumeration of the pre-re-quisites of good citizenship reveals what a formidable task confronts the educator —a task not his alone, but shared with the home, the Church, the Press, and many other formative influences. The extent to which each of these succeeds or fails lies beyond the scope of this report and attention must be confined to the work of the school. Good Character. “As gooil chai a ter is the indispensable foundation of good citizenship, it ing forms the first and last aim of the school. In the pursuit of this aim, the school endeavours also to improve the child physically by exercises, organised games, dental treatment, medical inspection, attention to hygiene and temperance, free milk and free fruit:! it attempts to equip him with such I elementary knowledge and skills as | are considered necessary to his future employment or education, and it gives him some cultural training to add to the pleasure and value ot his leisure time. “in addition, however, to laying these broad foundations of citizenship, the school makes a specific attack on the problem by including civics in the* history programme of ail classes above' Standard 11.. and such topics as loyalty, the flag, law and order, local| bodies. Parliament, democratic forms! of government, rates and taxes, public departments, and the meaning of true citizenship are given careful attention. “As far as our primary schools are concerned, I believe that, in their training for citizenship, they are on sound grounds. The school sets out to treat the child as a child; it endeavours to make him physically,! mentally and morally as worthy as his I immaturity, endowment, and circum-; stance will allow; it gives him some* knowledge of his future privileges and responsibilities, and some practice in the simpler forms of government; it! develops a pi ide in the achievements i of the good . • it of his own coun-j try. and hopes for some inspiration from these; it attempts some interpre-j tation of the* purpose and events of the i present world-wide strife; but it prefers to leave to a later stage those problems of physical and military preparedness which belong rather to adulthood *han to childhood. National Purpose. “There still remains at all times the problem of creating a people, inspired! by a great nal ional ; urp jse. To set alight within the soul of every child the unquenchable flame of a great desire to serve with integrity and devotion. truth and justice, and through these his fellow men. is a noble but difficult educational task. Our school system has been conceived in. and is dedicated it. a warm and wise humanitarianism. There are those who say that this is not enough, thati no state s tioi is com-1 plete which denies to the child, the I inspiration of religion and the things* of the spirit. It. is not my function

as an official in a secular state system to enter into a controversy on this question, out this can be said that the need for inspiration is fully recognised and every effort made to create and develop., it through story, song, verse, celebration, the influence of the teacher, and the tradition of the school. “The ways and means by which the schools may improve their teaching and influence in the important direction of citizenship must continue to be based on accepted educational principles. My colleagues and I place character training first. We are constantly emphasising the importance of making our schools active and dynamic, instead of passive and anaemic, and though a great change has taken place in *he last two decades in these directions, we believe more can still be done.” Mr. Blake was thanked for his report.