TEACHER ON EDUCATION

Chronicle (Levin), 24 August 1946, Page 5

TEACHER ON EDUCATION

-Press Association

PRESENT SYSTEM HAYING QIRE ° EFFECTS

By Telegmph-

WELLINGTON, August 23. The education system under the prescnt Govenunent. was dealt vvith in an address by a former Wanganui scliooi teacher, Miss Eldine Newton, at a meeting of tlie women 's branch of the Wellington Gentral electorate of the National Party yesterday. "The ueliberate breaking down of the educntional system is havitig and will havu dire ell'ects, " said Miss Nevyton, wno added that as a. school teacher both Det'ore and sinee the advent of the pres-

ent (Tovernment, she had noticecl u drastic alteration in the outlook of tite youth today. The universities were complaining year after year of the poor standarci of education found in students from secondary schoois, she said. Secondary school conferences deplored deterioration in the fundawentals taught in schoois, and parents complained tliat their children were taken "tatas" all day and spent to.a. much time malting v'sociai c:0hfgc^t-.-^u>m§ss men found.it necessary to ha-vYy^liQ^ls . within. Tlxeir firms •foiGjuj5iqfc.6pks,"y. wha. - hadLi^t mastered the three ' ' R. 's. J * This ik a ' serious indiftment," said Mias Newton. "We have also teachers from England expressing in no uncertam terms their vigws of the educationai standard found here. We save here the educationai policy that says, 'As all children eannot pass all barriers, remove all the barriers. ' S.o the tests tor proficiency ^nd senior free place were abolished. Now the Public Service entrance examination took three years instead of tvyo., school certificate was taken at tlie end of the fourth year, aua uiatriculation, fonnerly a three-year course, was recommended as a fifth-vear

exaiuination. Uuder the guise of social studies, eontinued Miss Newtoiu children were taught at an impressicmable age to adxnire the Btate as the provider of everything good from the eradle to the grave. "I feel that the neglect of fundamentals and the emphasising of social studies is bringing up 'yes-men' voters of the future. ' '

Particularly she had no.ticed a changed attitude in the older boys in schoois, for many of whom there was no longer pride in work and satistaction in eudeavour. "Employers are looked on by employees as capitalistic sharks and employees as esploited wage slaves," contiuued Miss Newton, "while conditions in factories and industry are made so attractive that no one wants to do domestic work or farming." She citeci the case of Australia, that when simitar conditions prevailed farming came to a standstill and the country was banXrupt. The administrative structure^.was topheavy. She had noticed so many new coupes with good tyres bearing' Government number-plates. "It would be tar better for the country," she said, "if some of these people in non-productive jobs kept a few fowls, made a few .irieks, or used their cars for hread or meat delivpyy vans instead." Mrs. C. H. Weston- presided at tne meeting, yyhich wgs attended by over 100 women.