COMMISSION ON EDUCATION.

West Coast Times, 18 June 1912, Page 3

COMMISSION ON EDUCATION.

S N. Z. TELEGRAMS.

RECTOR OF WAITAKI SCHOOLS GIVES VALUABLE EVIDENCE. [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. —COPYE.GHT.' DUNEDIN, June 17. Before the Education Conference to-day, Mr. F. Milner, M.A., Rector of the Waitaki Boy’s High School, stiongly advocated instruction in regard to sexual physiology by qualified teachers of both sexes. He advocated all teachers passing through training colleges, being taught the principles of total abstinence from liquor. Mr. Milner approved of the recent action of the Education Department in this relation. All secondary school teachers should be taught in training colleges. He would debar girls

from competing for University scholarships on the same terms as boys- and would eliminate mathematics and science from girls tests. Examinations were made somewhat a fetish in the Dominion, and ho would revise marks especially for Latin, which has reduced the minimum in our schools. Mr. Milner has a poor opinion of its educative value. In these days no subject in curriculum bred such a degree of cynicism and. conservatism. The University was responsible for this. Latin should only be compulsory for legal candidates. He strongly favoured vocational studies, especially in regard to the mother tongue and agriculture. He emphasised the value .of debating societies and said in all secondary schools there should be a u idor spread of history and geography. There was a lamentable ignorance of colonial history, especially of the history relating to Britain’s colonial policy. Mr. Milner wont on to say that more 'attention should bo paid to instruction in physics. Every boy emerging from the secondary institutions should be a branch of the Navy League in every school. Its importance could not be overstated. He paid a high tribute to the daily press of the Dominion, which by reason of their broad outlook and knowledge of Imperial questions, supplied the bestpossible text book. Ho strongly advocated the purchase of the best lantern slides for illustrating science, fiis 1 - tory and geography. He know from his own experience how much these slides vitalized the teaching of such subjects. Swimming should be made compulsory and agriculture must bo scientifically taught. If so it would .powerfully alfect the productiveness of the Dominion. Ho was a thorough convert to the wisdom of vocational courses. ANOTHER RECTOR’S VIEWS. Mr. Morrell, Rector of the Boys’ High School, complained of poor teaching of history in the Primary schools, which was wholly neglected except for the efforts of the Navy League. History must be compulsory on all teachers. The chair of history, filled by a trained historian, should be established at one of the University Colleges. ■Mathematics and geography in primary course should be reduced and made more human, and more careful attention should be paid to vocal music, especially to accentuation and enunciation. The syllabus was a good ono and none of its subjects could lie dispensed with and ho approved of the teaching of manual work in primary schools. On the whole, the product of the primary schools was satisfactory, but they were too prone to institute comparisons between picked pupils fifteen years ago and free places. For himself he thought it was a distinct improvement and good value for money being expended in secondary schools. If greater efficiency were desired, there must bo an increase in expenditure and in staffing, as in his school the average class was 29 per teacher, whereas the Secondary Teachers’ Conference unanimously decided that the number should not exceed 25. He strongly opposed the teaching of sexual physiology by what he would call a lienists. To do so by means of lectures would be a positive danger to the young. All private schools should bo inspected by an officer of the Central Department for the protection of the public. If physiological instructions must be given, this work must be done by a doctor or clergyman. j A LADY PRINCIPAL’S EVIDENCE. Miss Allen, Principal of the Girl’s' High School, complained of the overlapping between secondry and technical schools, leading to much waste of money. The overloaded syllabus was responsible for weakness in arithmetic and composition. Free places at secondary schools were not taken advantage of to the extent anticipated. Too many pupils merely marked time. The highest candidate in her school for junior and civil service examination had never been offered a position, and the brainiest of her pupils did not receive encouragement to enter the teaching profession. We know of no-«bettcr place to buy general drapery than at Hokitika. Warner’s rust proof corsets and Roslyn pure wool blankets, rugs, sac suits, tweeds, Worsteds, hoisery, flannels, plaidings, and ladies and gent’s unshrinkable underwear, “Delta” finish. For these goods there is enormous de-mand.—Ad-t. (For continuation of news see firsl and fourth pages). QPERA HOUSE! QPERA HOUSE MASCOT BIOCRAPH PICTURES. WEDNESDAY JUNE 21st. SPECIAL STAR PROGRAMME. KEEP your money in the town by pat ronising the local show where yoi see the best pictures at the lowes