OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 548, 1 July 1909, Page 6

OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM.

SPEECH BY HON. C. FOWtDS, EXPENDITURE, committees, and ■SYLLABUS. "I believe that the time has arrived when the Government : must, in respect of education—as in nia-ny other respects in connection with publio expenditure— call something of a halt."—Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister for Education. Speaking at tho opening of tho school at Waikanao yesterday, the Minister for Education (Hon. G. Fowlds) stated that, in his opinion, tho people of New Zealand had evoiy reason to be proud of their system of education. Tho founders of the system, he continued, realised, to a very large degree, 'that, no country could bo great and prosperous ■ and its people happy if it did not possess a satisfactory system of education. Even when a sound system was evolved, it was neoessary, from time to time, to increase tho Bttm spent upon it, in'order to secure iniprovomentfi. It was well-known that in New Zealand, particularly in recent years, the cost of education had been lacreased to a considerable extent. He believed that the time had arrived when the' Government must,' in / that, respect—as ! in many other respects in connection ; with public expenditure—call : something of a halt; The Government wanted to give ! the improvements and additions that had been made during the last few years an opportunity of showing their value, .before taking any: steps which would be likely; to add still further to the cost of education. The development in connection with technical and secondary education in New Zealand during the past few years could only be described as remarkable. Of oourse, these advantages could not be -obtained without payment. It was necessary -at all times to see that the primary system was adequate to meet all'requirements, so to fit tho children to be passed on. to : tho . higher branches 'of . education. If the primary school system were not efficient, then a .good doal of tho expenditure in the higher branches, of education '• would . probably be lost. ' Valuo of Rural Instruction. He was, he said, very glad to have an opportunity, to acknowledge the valuable work that was being dono by many of the teachers in the country districts in connection with instruction in • agricultural scionce and experimentation. There were frequently notices'in the newspapers as if nothing at ,all was being done in . that direction. Ho .had given -. a good deal of attention to that subject, and ho believed:!)© was jiistifiod in saying that-agricultura^edu-cation was more universally diffused in ' Now Zealand than in any, other country in tho world., It was true that in Canada a very large sum had been -expended on large central institutions, and .it was possible that as a result of those institutions for the training of teachers Canada might make very. large advances m that directioai during the next few years.. In New Zealand nearly, all the Boards of Education had secured the services of experts in. rural whose duty it was .to go round giving instructions to teachers by means of olassos. under, the Manual', and Technical Instruction Act. ■ Seeing that as a result a largo amount of general information was being diffused among the, people, he hoped that that system would be oontmued and extended more and more in the future. Schools, particularly'those in the country districts, should, ho thought, be developed : as. oenfeces of the. individual fend': social life;6i tho community. He believedithat. a very great future in the direction in which. he had indicated was before the schools of tho Dominion. '• " Functions of School Committees, : ; Mr.' Fowlds wont on to say that he often heard complaints from people who were, on School Committees that no power had been .left., in'their' hands—that, the functions and, powers which they. previously possessed had boen taken from them. Ho would like to say that 'he disagreed entirely from that view. School Committees .had, in jhis opinion, a very wide sphere for useful service. ,Ho hoped that wont on thero would grow' up a now spirit in oonnecikm with' School . Committees. One great drawback. Or deficiency ; in the present system wis the look of'the continuation of thV education of tho children from, say,' 14, when a good many left school, on to 17. and 18. He believed it . would be /a .proper function of a oommitteo to arrange even in. very small -country distriots continuation clashes, so as io bring round tlio school tho young people of the distinct. It was 'possible that before' long it might -bci neoessary; to secure the continued attendance of children botwecn tho agos of 14 to '17.' at classes ' such as he had indicated.- ' Apart fmn that aspect he would like to. see/focussed in tho schools under the auspices of tho-committee' a library, a- social olub, and various classes— all organised to form part of tho. life of - tho community. >' If committees realised the enormoui fields that lay before them on the lines whioh he had indicated there would no longer bo any need for complaint that committees had now,no'functions.-In the course of'time the 'scheme which ho had outlined might be extended in various .'directions,; all >f which' would be of valne not only to tho young people, but also to the adults.. Hovy the Syllabus should be Interpreted. With' respect 'to tho school syllabus, •he ' felt it necessary . for, him, as Minister for Education,- to speak out plainly' m .regard to'.a certain class of criticism that uras frequently levelled against it.' Every, now and again one saw something in the press ,or 'elsewhere to the.-effect' that tho syllabus ;was "overburdened, ,'and something ought toVbe taken away from it. Any talk of that kind showed, a total misconception of the meaning, intent and content of the syllabus. ;.It.was true that a number of subjects which it was necessary to /add "had . beon added to it. But the aim and spirit of the now syllabus was to secure rather a change of method-in teaching—to do away with the old bookisu stylo of endeavouring to impart knowledge and . secure the adoption of methods abased: on observation—to encourage a natural course of study rather than book study. Only recentlv, it seemed to' him that the ground for complaint lay, in the fact that some of tho teachers had not realised what tho syllabus was intended; to do, and tjiat some of the inspectors had failed to give a ,truo interpretation to it. ; It : appeared that ' some: insjfectors thought it their duty and privilege to .examine tlio children oil every subject mentioned in the syllabus. -That was entirely contrary to the spirit' of' the, syllabus. Instead of laying, an additional burden on the teachers, the -new syllabus was intended to be. a charter of freedom to thorn. It was / intended that' from the suggestions contained ' in the syllabus, a , scheme of work should be drawn up by the teachers to cover a period of three or four years' of school work, and that the scheme; would go along lines that would bring in as part of tho instruction the various subjects enumerated in the syllabus. Scops of Examinations. In conclusion, Mr. Fowlds said that the duty of the inspectors was simply to oxamine tho scheme of work prepared by the teacher, and make any suggestions upon it .to the teacher as he might think fit. The examination should only be within tho boundaries of the scheme in vogue to see that the teaching was. effective within 'its compass. If that line had,been followed by all the inspectors there would have been no room for complaint. The syllabus was intended to give that freedom which would enable teachers bo make school life less unreal, less' a matter of book study, and more a matter of developing the powers of observation—moro than tho mere filling rup of the. scholars with parcels of extracted from book.s. It: was just as ;well in the interests of all concerned that ho should make that point clear. (Applause.)