THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 29, 17 April 1891, Page 15

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

(From the Lake Wakatip Mail.)

It is somewhat curious, as well as a significant fact, that in all the wge for retrenchment displayed by the present Government, thy Education Department has not been touched. Toe appropriation for primary education alone, for the current year, amounted to £407,764, and the Colony is spending, at the least, half as much a^ain on secondary schools, the Provincial University Colleges and the University of Kew Zealand. It is true thes9 latter derive the chief part of their income from land endowments, but as these are from the public estate, it is practically the same as if the money was granted from the ordinary revenue. Necessarily, under the existing bystem, the expendi'ure on education must increase year by year in proportion to the population, and there can he no finiteness as to the amount which may be required. The Bom an Catholics refuse to send their children to the State schools ; if they were to do so it would involve a further charge to the Colony of, at least, £40,000 irrespective of the necessity which would arise for increased school accommodation in order to house 12,000 more pupils. They have to pay taxes like other people, and at a great expense to entirely provide schools for themselves. — We say nothing just now as to the success or otherwise of the education system by law established, and, although it is admitted to be defective in certain important essentials for success, we will even concede that it turns out a fair proportion of well-instructed, decently cultured young people ; but the question forces itself upon the attention — whether the country is not paying " too dear for its whistle ' in the matter. The aggregate annual cost is not far short of three quarters of a million of money, and, moreover, a not unimportant Motion of the population is in a chronic state of discontent. Surely without abandoning the principle that every child must be educated, some reasonable means might be devised for lightening the burden which now presses so heavily on the taxpayer, and must press heavier year by year. The Minister for Education — that very opinionated and self-sufficient young gentleman, Mr. W. P. Beeves — ban quite recently declared that the Cabinet are not in favour of either directly or indirectly reducing the expenditure of the Department. Even warm supporters of the system have expressed the opinion tisat material reduction might be effected, without risking efficiency, by limitation of the school age, charging fees with the higher standards, etc., but it would appear that the labour delegates, who really rule the roost, are steadfast in the determination to maintain things &s they are, and indeed, one of the most blatant of them has seriously proposed that the school books should be supplied by the Government free, gratii, and thus a further annual expense of about £100,000 would be thrown upon the revenue.

We may expect next that it will be insisted upon that the children attending the schools shall be supplied witb luncheon and kepi in shoe leather at the pnblic expense, It is in the district wbicb enjoys the privilege of being represented by this delegate that, immediately in front of a ecbooi attended by over 800 children there runs, or rather stagnates, a pestilential di eh. As neither the Education Board nor the School Committee have been in funds to remove or to abate that dangerous nuisance, an appeal was made to the parents of the pupils in attendance, whose health is continually risked. The amount collected for the purpose after a vigorous beat-up was nnder £1 1 The idea evidently is that the general tax-payer is to stand the whole racket, and parents are to be absolutely free from trouble or expense, It certainly behoves the producing classes, who practically have to find the money, to weigh well the pros and cons of this question. If things proceed as they are doing, half the entire available revenue of the colony will Boon be .absorbed in m .int fining the educational system, the results of which, up to the present time, are by no means reassuring, if we may judge by the gangs of lanikins by which the large towns are infested. With regard to secondary education, provided or subsidised by the State in District High Schools, High Schools and Colleges, there is small room for doubt but that the expense might fairly be borne by the parents, and the pnblic revenues to that extent relieved. One effect of educatioa, beyond the elements of being open to all, has been to dissatisfy the children of all classes with homely employments and country work The boys all want billets in offices, while the girls despise and will have nothing in the shape of domestic service or house-work. Tb' re were in Dunedin the other day over 350 applications for some 30 vacancies of pupil teachers under the E iucation Board ; whilst a legal gentleman, to our knowledge, who advertised for an office-boy at 5s a week, received 55 applications — several from grown lads who had pasted the highest standards in the city schools. This is what onr educational system is bringing about, and it can hardy be regarded with satisfaction from any point of view. Let there be free and compulsory education by all means up to a certain standard, so as to secure that every child shall learn to read, write, and cypher, bnt beyond that — or rery soon after — let parents contribute to the cost of instruction. To meet the case of specially clever children, who are by no means a common production, there might be a liberal ■jttem of scholarships, to be competed, f or, iv Lb« priaUEjr flOboolOi

Those really qualified for intellectual employments would by this means htw full opportunity of fallowing Iheir bent, whiUt the g eat niais would fall into the groove intended for them by na'ure— as well as so much needed in oar young country— aad tackle real hard work, m coloDiets should do.