THE EDUCATION STATEMENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1268, 19 June 1886, Page 3

THE EDUCATION STATEMENT.

In the House last evening the Promt. r, Sic R. Stout, nale his Education Statement, which occupied an hour in delivery He said that the I'epartraent w>s mo’c economically conducted than before, but the increase in scholars ny 5169 had nec-.ssitated an increase in the general vote. There are 102,407 children cn the rolls, and the average a tendance was aboutßo,ooo. The new stande d and in sistance on drawitij; ascompu sory subject had been well received. The main part of the statement was devoted to expounding certain reforms which he believed to be i

necessary. The mein fault of the uni I versity was that it regarded examinations as all important and neglected teaching It was out cf “truck” with the affiliated colleges, and no provision existed for making it the home of research. His own idea was that there should bo a college in each of the four large towns, and each college should have a speciality. Auckland was wi I’. suited for maritime teaching, astronomy, marine engineering, etc. ; Wellington for jurisprudence, political economy, and history ; Christchurch for agriculture, geology, etc.; and Dunedin for medicine. The sec’.>ndaary schools also required looking after, and a statute would have to be devised to make them more uniform in charcter than they were now. Our primary schools were improving. Secondary schoalsand uiiversity colleges must be carefully na'ured. The need of technical education was becoming slowly but surely lecognlsed If each County Council were empowered to start a email model farm, it might be made self-sup^or-

ting. The Stale might aasiat by paying part of the salary of teachers Ha hoped ' soon to see reading books prepared iu the colony for the n-.,e of our children. After reviewing the state of some of the colonial schools, he said that while asking the House to vote the sum on the estimate, it would be as Government proposed to takepowerin Appropriation Bill to reduce the vote by £4009 if the Committee of Supply report that the Civil Service salaries are to be reduced. He was sorry to make such a proposition, but Government mast keep faith with the Honse regarding the promise of retrenchment.

Some dicussion followed, which was ended by the Premier intimating that his statement could be debated on the first vote for education.