THE OVERLOADED SYLLABUS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 127, 29 May 1907, Page 5

THE OVERLOADED SYLLABUS.

DISCUSSION AT EDUCATION BOARD. | The overloading of the syllabus was I discussed at the meeting of the Education Board lo ..ay, Mr. A. R. Harris, j who introduced the subject, said that ; the regulation requiring pupils to comj mit 1000 lines of poetry to memory for | the year required amendment, the 'amount being excessive. It was generjally contended that the syllabus was I already crammed. Whcu a pupil could j scarcely give an answer to such a question as "Where is Canterbury?*' it was I unwise to teach s?o much poetry as" was proposed. I Mr. C. J. Parr said tliat when the I consensus <if opinion among teachers 'and educational experts that the syllabus was altogether overloaded, was :tno ambitious in its scope, and exacted jtoo much from primary school children, the Board should represent to the pro[per authorities Hint the time had arrived jwhen a revision of ih;> syllabus was ! lii-cesssorr. Head leathers of largo schools were of opinion that primary ; education in our schools was less satisfactory than it should be, because of the fact thai, an attnmpt was mario to cover too much ground. All teachers would support him in tho assertion that mii s-t ruction generally whs interfered with ■by the scope of the syllabus. Beside [the ty!!ab:i- being overloaded with ordinary subjects, hali-a-day a week was |being devoted to manual and technical : instruction, and he was not certain that the Board and the State had not made ja mistake with the syllabus. The question would be closely debated whether !ii was desirable to introduce technical j education into the primary schools. No such system was followed in Germany or America. In ihe former country I only pupils who had hail seven years |of primary instruction wore allowed to | f.akt- technical education. Children must Ibe thoroughly grounded in primary •subjects before commencing on the cle- , ments of technical subjects, educationists I being agreed ou this proposition ihe [world over. The continuation class sys- [ tern, in which manual fcubjeets were j taught, had been adopted in Germany. •England and America, -md. sentiment !\\as growing in this direction in this col!ony. The Duliedin Technical School manI agers bad .affirmed that a mistake bad [been made in having manual instruction j iis( 0,-porated in the p.-i.nsiry course. The I one interfered with the other, the sylla- [ bus being overloaded without technical i instruction. The Minister and Depart- | ment should consider whether they hail j not gone on wrong lines in introducing i any instruction other than primary in [the primary course.

The chairman took the view that they were working with a proper and scientific syllabus, but there must not be too rigid an interpretation. Teachers were not bound to take nil the subjects, but could make a selection of such as best suited the requirements of each particular district. The syllabus had pnrposely been made elastic, and teachers had received instructions to act accordingly. He remarked that only pupils who had passed the fourth standard and were 12 years of age attended the manual instruction classes. Unless more evience were forthcoming that the syllabus was overloaded the Board could not take action, lie knew that teachers complained of the time devoted to manual training, but at the same time were always ready to take a holiday when opportunity offered. v

ilr. Parr declared that the chairman had all modern educationists against) him. No time should be taken from the primary course. What did a boy kuow on passing the fourth standard? He then had the two most important classes ahead. The syllabus should be investigated. When it excluded such useful subjects as history and geography to give place to new-fangled notions which did no good, it was time to put revision in band.

The chairman pointed out that in half-time schools, which had only three days,* instruction per week, creditable work was done, and that lessened the. force of the argument that the deprivation of half a day a week prejudicially affected scholars at full time schools.

Mr. F. W. Lang said that on the face of it it was absurd to think that children learned more in three days than in five. If that, were so they should turn all the schools into lialf-time schools. Mr. C. T. Barriball pointed out that at half-time schools teachers devoted more time to each of the few scholars attending than could be given by the staffs in schools with a roll number running into hundreds.

Mr. J. Staliworthy said that the present syllabus was an improvement on the former. There was an outcry in the country districts for technical education in agriculture, and th?re would be no objection to that course being introduced in country schools.

i The chairman said that teachers were ' allowed to arrange lessons in accord. |anee with the requirements ot the district. I The discussion then dropped. I ■—