EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 532, 12 June 1909, Page 14

EDUCATION.

. TEACHCTS , ANNUAL CONFERENCE. : A MDJISTEBIAI, DEPUTATION AND IT! -V. ; ■ ■■■; :.V ; BESULTS. ; ' . the Minister for Education, (Hon U. i'owlds) aooorded a private interview to i ,doputation representing the New Zealand Edu cahonal Institute, when the resolutions adoptet .■ by the annual conferenoe of teachers at l)nn edm m January last:were discussed.. Then ■-■■were twenty-two resolutions in all,.and'to th< more important of these the. Minister gavo ro plies.;. The remainder, were reserved for De , : partmental investigation, to be repliedto at s later date. ' - '.. .7: .;■■■■■. • . ..-■•...,, ,r;; ; ' Administration of the Act. ;■■■•' Three important resolutions referred specific ally: to 'the administration of the Educatfoi v; Act;by>tho,education boards. In the first, tin : '- Minister was asked to see, that the Educatioi .',-: Aot was administered.by education :boards ii .accordance with the provisions of the Act anc the Departmental regulations thereto. ' ■ ..■'-, Mr. Fowlds <said that this was a big order :',-■ It meant that the Education .Act Would-re ■ qnire to be recast, and the' whole of 'its'- ad ..:•' ministration brought under the direct, contro of .the .central authority—the Minister, and thi ■'■: Eduoahbn Department. ' ' ■ • : ■ i Of considerable to tho interest; .ofteaohera in the Itarlborough education dis ~tnet was the resolution which directed th< ; Minister'a attention .to the . fact that th< .Education Board of-that district appointed, it; .: ; teachers, from yearto year, only, a system ol ; appointment which deprived them of-the bene . fita of the Teachers' Court of Appeal; .'■■ In his reply, the Minister'said ■ that he con - mdered/that the New Zealand Educational In i stituteiiwas strong enough .to have the legality of Education Board's' actioi ..determined. ./.. .;...., ' . ■. Eesolution.3;of the seriee bearing upon ad . mimstr,a.tion was a-request that the ifinistoi *' formulate a scheme of promotion of teachers ■ :Powlds explained that the' Amendinf ',' ;'Aot of.last session-was intended.,to improve thf - position of teacherswithregard'to salaries anc promotion, so far. as the tone and temper o the House would allow. There was no doubt ho said;'that Bo'me of the education boards wer< striving to- oarry out the. intentions L of honourably and equitably. The resnlta of th< ~ policies adopted by the: boards to which'hi referred would be noted-by the Department foi future consideration. : • :: ■ ';■,.'■ ':■■ The Education Syllabus. . SeTeral resolutions' bearing upon tte neoes eity. for cert un amendments to 'tho"educatioi syllabus' were then submitted. To these th< Minister gave a general reply. There wa; some prospect,: .he said, of .considerable en lightenment ivith regard to the-.worting.of.-thi syllabus. Early in 1910 a'conferenceVpf schoo •inspectors..would..bo held, and it was hope( that, as a result of that conferenoe, a definiti and; clear understanding as to the scope aui -purport of the syllabus would bo arrived at The' Inspector-General of Sohools (Mr. G Hogben), who was also present,' remarked tha 6ome of the resolutions submitted were olearl' 1 adopted under a misapprehension. They wen ' aakeaVupr example,' to delete .the .section o Ujurse^A,in;Geography,relating to the mathe mahcal: side of; that subject. ; That would b. a retrograde step. .; , Mathematical : geograph' ?°t, -new, ■'...it •;■ .) foTm« part of the eyUabus in geography, bnt oertah new methods of teaching it had been euggestei ■v in the new eyUabus. .'These suggestions, how ever, were- not mandatory. , Mr. Hogben ex pressed the opinion that muoh of the dissatio faction which had been.expressed by teacher .oonoerning.the new syllabus: arose from er roneona interpretations which had been placet npon it;by some 6ohool inspectors. ■■•■■" to the question of the abolition o Departmental test cards in' English am Anthmetio,' the Minister, stated that so long- a an examination test continued to be the basii of admittance to the: various branches of thi ; Uvil_ isemoe, • test cards in these subjects would,:of necessity,; be used for the.sake o .■;• uniformity . in: the. value of :the certificate ;■ issTied.v:::.;;:, ■■■:_ .-■:.>, ■)•■ ■ : .. ,;.;,•;. ■;;' : ■ The Inspector-Geiieral pointed out that '"'ih ,card 3 had been issued to the• inspectors nol ■as a means of ascertaining the standard-of thi work of; a .school at a particular date,' bui ? 01e ]7. : K lth '.* e "bjeot-of securing nniformiti ln.thejdemands made ,on candidates for certi hcates of profimency in Standard VI. Thesi .oertihcates- must 'necessarily have i a uniforn basis of award, eince-.they qualified-for admit stance to secondary, or.'technical, schools.': A's'ti the'complaints concerning, the alleged vatnie : ness anf diffioulty of the test cards in Eng l ls y t tlle speaker .observed that the same- card: had been used in Uhe Native: schools, and'm' complaints had been received. If, teacher and_ inspectors would use the cards in th< spint in which they were issued,-said-Sir.-.Ho* ben, complaints of the nature reported by th .Educational' Institute would /disappear. 'Ti use. them asa-basis', for lessons, and to hav.i the classes coached up in the particular sub ject matter of the cards, was not the purpos. for which they, were intonded. ■ • v

;:,":;;:-;: ■'■ •; f: £^':;>-- ; -Oiliep', Matters.■ I- \-; : ,\\ '■'■■'■ ■". ~? e .P'yi n ß to queries; in .'other matters, the -~,'" lnl3t v r ■ s ¥ d . : tllat J l6 *«? ■in agreoment-as X • Ki^S 1 ? offi «w-with \the;feeUrie' of : -,;.. .the .institute that a system'.of vnniform..scnoo y ; liMv Tvf desirable - ?? did ""t'-tWnk-it liKely that the movement.in the' direfltion :of :,v , - eecuring -uniform school 'Cobles wonia be sue- • V CMsfnl,-Th«! matter of providing Tetter■ phwi- ■ v.:-.■;■ cal: conditions for the children of the pubHc :-.. ~tion forthe boards to deal with. He was in ■ ■'■■•!E ,im i? ljr i3 h ? theprinoiple that school child ;.., :--.-«n ,shonld be. compelled; to. attend the full - nnmber, of .halfdays; on:which iho schools! Were - ; .* ho -'Pf?al-, exemptions. :.. OTtrshoot pnbho opinion,in' this'matter: ;'•■'.