COMMISSION ON EDUCATION.

West Coast Times, 22 June 1912, Page 3

COMMISSION ON EDUCATION.

INVERCARGILL EVIDENCE.

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INVERCARGILL, Juno 21. The Education Commission continued its sitting hero to-day, and is still taking evidence to-night with a view of finishing hero hoforo the week end. Miss Johson, Principal of the Girls' High School, said that the examination.- for proficiency certificates did not seen, to be a thorough test of proficiency. In the majority of proficiency pupils she had found a decided weakness in English and -Arithmetic. This

was due, not to the teachers, but to the. (act that too. much attention had been given to subjects less fundamental in education, and that the syllabus lacked definiteness, this inducing a lack -of thoroughness. She would strongly advocate the reinstatement of Giammar upon the syllabus, though by no means desiring to return to the old state of affairs when Grammar was a grievous and unprofitable burden. Yet simple and fundamental rules of Grammar were a necessity. Its importance in relation to English composition, and as a basis for the study of foreign languages would surely bo admitted by any experienced teacher of Hi esc subjects who would have probably found ignorance of elementary grammatical principles a serious difficulty.

T. D. Pearce, Rector of the Roys’ T'li;.;si School, said that the foundation ol primary education lacked simplicity and solidity. Ho advocated more utter. tion being paid to ilio elements of formal grammar, with tho use of grammatical sonso in tho V and VI Standards. Ho was a believer in home work. They could not progress in sccovdary subjects without exact memorising. Roys who came Irom schools

where homo work was not sot, made poorest progress: boya from schools whore home work was set, solidest progress. A.'s regards scholarships ho had Lamed tho opinion that the allottmcut of scholarships of value of £5 to town scholars was a mistake. He considered it would ho better spent in provision of scholarships for country boys, thus aiding thorn in their desire for further education. Overlapping, so far, as ho was aware, existed at one point, i.o , between tho so-called day Technics Schools and High Schools. There wa.» a little difference between their time-tables and tho subjects of instruction, and as tho day technical schools were born last, they were the guilty parties in overlapping. Tho taking of evidence is proceeding.