EDUCATION.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIII, 18 May 1922, Page 7

EDUCATION.

NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE SCHOOL CURRICULA. Per Press Association—Copyright. WELLINGTON, May 17. At the meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute, the report or the special committee on the school curricula was presented by Mr W. H. Newton (Auckland), who explained that the principal point made was the need for better co-ordination in the system to give a pupil practically a continuous schooling from primary elements as far as the pupil could go. The speaker warned teachers against creating - watertight compartments in dealing with each branch. If another compartment were created the last State School would be worse than the first. Mr C. T. Aschman (Christchurch) suggested that the time was inopportune to introduce .a Junior High School as it would entail expense, which would mean withdrawing money much needed for primary schools. The President (Mr Purchas), suggested that they should lay down their ideal, and leave it to the authorities to determine when it should be introduced. Mention was made of the report by the Minister’s Sub-Committee which was very similar to the commit-; tee’s report, and it was suggested that the two should be considered together.

TECHNICAL SCHOOLS. POST PRIMARY EDUCATIONA Conference of Technical Education Directors, Supervisors, Boards ol Managers and Teachers is also now sitting here. Mr W. F. Durward was The retiring President, Mr Newton of Napier Technical College, gave an address, mostly devoted to the ie-01-ganisation of primary and secondary education. It was a defect of our system that the average age. at which pupils begin their secondary’ work, is two years higher than in any other piogressive country. The tendency is towards the prolongation, rather than the shortening of the period of elementary training. During discussion, on post primary education, numerous motions were passed, including the following, moved by Mr W. H. Bennett; “That in order to provide the most favourable conditions for fostering the growth of the spirit of co-operation and loyalty, out system of education should be so organised that no firfeak’ occurs in the secondary school period by the passage from one school to another; to secure this (a) the senior High School shuulu .have the Junior High School as part uL'its organisation, hr should provide a course of at least four years, commencing with Junior High School second year course; (b), where Junior High Schools are established as educational units, separated from the primary school and from the Senior High School, it is desirable that as soon as the growth of the population allows, the Senior High School courses shall be added to the curriculum until a full six year course is provided by the school; (c)' where Junior High Schools exist'as separate units, pupils qualifying for secondary education at an age below normal, should be encouraged to enrol at a High S. hcol providing both junior and senior courses while pupils qualifying for secondaiy education more than one year liter than-normal age-should be encouraged to attend a separate High r-cliool pieriding both senior and junior com ses unless parents are prepared to give a guarantee that the pupil will remain at school until at least one year of the senior course has been taken.

The Conference also expressed the opinion that the primary course should be determined by the attainment that could reasonably be expected of pupils who have completed their twelfth year. COMBINED CONFERENCE.

The combined conference of the managers and directors of technical schools was continued to-day, Mr Durward of Palmerston North being elected as president of the conference. PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.

Mr Newton in his Presidential address, which was deferred from yesterday"for the combined conference, referred, in dealing with post primaryeducation, to the various systems in vogue in other countries; and pointed out, as defects in our present system, that the average age of entry into secondary schools is far above the age in other countries. He also stressed the fact that this- age is steadily rising, that fully one third of the pupils leave school without passing standard six, and that the systme is too bookish, and too much influenced by examinations.

He suggested various schemes for the proposed new schools for the consideration of the conference, and also that the method of selecting pupils should be by a conference between inspectors, head teachers and parents. Mr Newton was heartily applauded for his address.

A Jong discussion took place as to Education was still far too academic in character, with the result that the best brains were being directed to the profession when the fact was that they cording to ability and temperament,

would be “trying out’’ schools so that boys and girls may be drafted out ao REMITS DEALT WITH. Remits were then dealt with dealing with the report- of the Conference on Primary and Post Primary Education Referring to the new schools contemplated, Mr Parr said that they whether the new l schools should be separate educational units, or attached to existing secondary or technical schools, the majority of the members expressing the opinion that they should be attached to an existing technical high school, 'out. ultimately the Wellington remit was carried which provided, (a) that the Senior High School should either have a Junior High School as part of its organisation or provide a four years’ course at least; (b) where Junior High Schools are established as separate units, ■it is desirable that Senior High School courses shall be added until • the full six years’ coui’se is provided by the school; and, (c) that no pupil should be allowed to attend a High School providing both courses, unless parents are willing to guarantee that the pupils shall remain until at least one year of the Senior High School course has been taken, (i.e. 4 years).

The Hon. C. J. Parr, (Minister of Education, attended and addressed the conference and after congratulating the members on the work being done, said that there was no doubt that a revision of the educational system must be seriously considered, to the proper schools either secondary or technical instead of the haphazard method of the present day. With regard to toe kind of schools, he said that they would be separate educational units and of a strictly experimental character in the first case.

He would welcome any suggestions from the conference and hoped that its deliberations would be beneficial to toe country and himself as Minister of, Education.

should be directed to the industries of the country. At no period of the history of the country was this mor? so than now.

AFTERNOON SESSION. .At the afternoon session Mr Wright M.P., Mayor of Wellington, attended and, extending the welcome of the City to the delegates expressing his sincere accord with the work. at. the technical schools .generally, and ' the gJeat imporiance, of it to the country. The question of centralisation of contrdl "whs adversely criticised by Mr Opie, Mr Andrews, Mr Ferner, and severaLother speakers and the general opinion of the conference was that centralisation of control was undesirable. A remit from Wellington that in all educational bodies there should be adequate representation of the teaching staff, was debated at length, but was lost by a narrow margin. The additions of the words “but not by' one of themselves,” made the remit more palatable and it was then passed unanimously.

An animated discussion was earned on over toe remit that all new secondary schools may be mixed schools, the majority of the delegates speaking in favour, and giving instances in their experience of the good done to both sexes by becoming better acquainted with each others habits and ideas. Although there were a few dissentients, toe remit was carried by a good majority.

TEACHERS’ PROTEST. PREHISTORIC “GAZETTE.” WELLINGTON, May 17. “We talk about retrenchment, but here is an instance of the Education Department wasting money upon a publication which is not worth that much,” remarked the secretary to the Secondary Schools’ Assistants’ Association (Mr F. Martyn-Renner) at the annual Conference, with a snap of his fingers. He referred to the extremely unsatisfactory circulation of the Education “Gazette,” as condemned in a remit under discussion. Frequently, he said, the “Gazette” reached teachers so late that it had become a prehistoric curiosity. The “Gazette,” he declared, had been an out and out failure, and in its present form was an absolute waste of money. (Applause.) From the point of view of the secondary school teacher, its chief function was to enable's him to see what positions were vacant and for that purpose it had turned out absolutely useless for by the time it was delivered it was too late for the recipient to apply for a vacancy by the closing date. In spite of the frequent protests of the Association the Department still persisted in wasting money on it.

The Chief Inspector of Secondary Schools (Mr James Drummond), said that the Department would welcome any suggestion that would tend towards economy. The remit was carried by a very large majority.