LOCAL NEEDS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20104, 6 December 1930, Page 6

LOCAL NEEDS.

COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOLS. PROBLEM OF THE INTER MEDIATE TOWN. SOME GENERAL I'UINCII'I.KS. . (SPECUU,* WUII'TEK SOU 'Hit -fi-.t-.-_»; [By W. Thomas, M.A., Ll-.15., '.Head • master of Timaru Boys' lligli School,j ; Ilappiiy, in spite of eoiiti-ali.-.i:d iwi- > trol and the pooling of endowments in New Zealand, every State Ifiy;li School worthy of the mime persists in pre- ; serving its distinct individuality, for j 1 bo far there is no sign of uniformity ; even among those schools of simihir size, and situated in similar type.i of districts. To write with any degree . of fullness, therefore, about the work of the school in an intermediate town j would be to focus tho attention on ! the work and influence of one partiei lar school. There arc, however, general principles which mu-' those in authority in thes ■ the odu-.,ut-t.opped by ui versit.y, the .- (X upon it. .-null) little, litgnity which tho mure ay lias in the city. The 19 only :i "mimic sun." hut jt, .iates somo of the traditional culture. It is moro of a town institution than is the city school. Alrno.it everyone knows tho school is intere.-ted in its doings, and criticises its organisation, its pupils, and its masters. This is natural, for through business or social reasons its ramifications reach every part of the community. One outcome of this exalted position is tho duty of the school to guide those who will afterwards attend tho University colleges. If it baa a largo boarding department, it will have as many as thirty or forty or even more old boys at the Universities. Of course, the city school haa also a large contingent at the University, hut there is this difference: the city pupil remains athomewhon he enters the University, the pupil from tho intermediate town leaves his home. Parents naturally do not wish to send thoir boys and girls too young to an institution' which must, differ so much in discipline from a school; and tho tendency is for tho pupila to he kept longer at their schools. During the extra year some sit for terms and for sections of degrees in subjeots such as languages, mathematics, and history—which subjects may be taken by exempted candidates. Unfortunately the University will not accept laboratory work done in the schools far higher science examinations. If it could bo prevailed upon to allow first year practical work to be done in the science laboratories of the school, the result would be beneficial to school and to University. Certainly some extra-mural pupils at present taking literary subjects would prefer tq _ take science, and young teachers, in particular, would go on to tho University better prepared for those subjects in which they are fit. to specialise. Special Curricula. • _ . Than, again, this tyjie of school lias ! its own problems of curricula. To suit tho needs of the district ib must bo of the comprehensive type. I .speak with more knowledge of a boys' school, but tho girls' school is equally affected, for tho girle' school haa a domestic course which makes its organisation very difficult. Tho boys' school in tho smaller rural district hah its orientation towards the land. The city school thinlig only of the University and ol the office. Tho intermediate town school has the interests of the farmer, the business man. and the University graduate to keep in mind. To suit tho needs of the boy who is to bo a farmer, the school must have an agriculturist on the staff—a man who has had a Lincoln College or similar training. In addition to learning the science of agriculture, tho bov in this course should bo given instruction at tlvo school or at tho local Technical school in such subjects as motahvork, woodwork, woolsorting, motor-engineer-ing, etc. Tho boy who is to become a business man in a smaller town—perhaps in any town in New Zealand—in addition to his commercial subjects should certainly bo given agriculture as his science subject. Under the University regulations, a student wishing to study for a profession is compelled to take a defined academic course, and tho pity is tho examination syllabus of that academic course is so narrow and so relentless. To suit all types, therefore, tho curricula must be comprehensive, resulting in difficulties of organisation. But as a. result of having various kinds of pupils, the school faithfully represents the outside life of a democratic community whero the hand worker and the b*ain worker should be doing their j Utmost for the common weal. There is j no snobbery—not even intellectual snobbery in the school. The Sixth Form boy j OB the academic course knows that grey j matter plus personality are found out-* side of his form-room; the boy deft in handwork and in art learns to respect the logical thinker and speakor. A similar state of affairs is found in the girls' school. Undoubtedly these schools are valuable institutions in a democracy. Education for Leisure. The piost difficult problem in any school in New Zealand where an academic course is taken is to get time to educate for leisure. Most of tlio subjects are taught for their utilitarian value in the professions or for the purpose of mental training. Some of tlieni will never again be touched, once tlio student has passed the examination. To one engaged year by year in organising a course for these pupils who have to face the University entrance examination, it has always seemed a pity that more time could not be devoted to such subjects as art appreciation, music,

foreign history, ami elementary economics—subjects which bring delight, to the student in his leisure time in tlie ytars to ciwiu. Kvery school does as much as it nun with theso subjects, which are extra curriculum for academic .students. The pressure of tho patents, who arc fco anxious that their boys should pass tho examination at the end of three yours and that they should not tarry with any subject which has no direet bearing on that examination, increases tho difficulty. Tho students oil tho other courses get a much better preparation for leisure. To all pupils, even in most boys' schools, the headmaster would liko to give at least two hours a week to singing ami instrumental music;, and a similar time to art appreciation ; for in adolescence the ear and tho eye are keener. Adolescent boys are anxious to learn how to sing in parts, and the results of their regular training in singing in harmony would surprise many musical people. Why should there bo strain and stress in a school to try to give the elements of a subject which will give endless pleasure in the years to come? Some boys taking the academic course are anxious to join tlio school brass band Why should they be debarred because tho pressure of the defined syllabus is too great? Is there no mental training; in the learning of musicP ISO it is with art appreciation. The "academic" boy would really benefit moat by a thorough course in this subject and would help afterwards to mould public tnsto. Yet he has little timo for its study and must take it extra-curricu-lum, if ho takes it at all. He has the recompense, perhaps, of a greater understanding of literature, hut tho days of adolcscenco with their opportunities for cultivation of taste in art and music, corao only once in our lives. Some Results. In New Zealand, most of the High Schools are in the intermediate towns. In the Commission report, some derogatory remarks are made concerning the secondary schools, and yet the Commission itself made only a perfunctory survey of the work of the kind of school which is the most common and which most closely approaches the ideal of a town school with an "agricultural bias." It is only necessary to point out tliat the last word has not been said in defence of the New Zealand secondary schools. "Our little systems have their day" and changes are certainly advisable to avoid stagnation, but thero is no need to belittle work done faithfully over the years, in order to show that a change is necessary. At any rate we can say that our 11 i gli School boys and girls are loyal to their schools, that in physique they will I war comparison with the hoys and girls of any other pai't of the world, that their speech is less characterised by odious twang or accent than is the speech of the young people of any other Dominion, and that, by and large, in the past they havo become earnest citizens of which any country can be proud.