The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1910. NATIONAL EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 707, 5 January 1910, Page 4

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1910. NATIONAL EDUCATION.

1 Once a year, primary school teachers, representing tho several edu- ' cation districts of this country, meet in conference to r discuss various matters appertaining to their profession. Conferences of this kind, conducted, as it were, under the public eye, serve a valuable purpose. Problems of public moment are debated, representative opinions are crystallised in the shape of resolutions for or against this or that line of action, and a lead or suggestion is thus given to the public' mind. On the siibject of national education the public is looking for practical guidance in soveral important directions. , Criticism of a destructive 1 kind has been directed at our primary school syllabus; complaint has been made that there is no practical co-ordination between primary and secondary education; and, lastly, our university system has been assailed. On all three points our national system of education is now entering upon a period of transition. The manner of its future development, so far as primary education is concerned, will depend very largely upon tho results of such practical discussions as are eminently possiblo at such a gatherip~ as the teachers' conference, which commenced its sittings in Wellington yesterday. Practical sug. gestions relating ,to the higher branches of .education may also bo expected from the deliberations of other conferences of educationists which have been arranged to take place within tho next two months, while tho important subject of university reform will no doubt engage the attention of the Senate when it meets during tho present month. On the whole, therefore, tho outlook for 'improvement in our system of national education is distinctly promising. On tho subject of "Educational Ideals," tho inaugural address by the President of the New Zealand Educational Institute (Mr. G. W. C. Macdonald), delivered at the opening session of the teachers' conforence yesterday, afforded an admirable and practical review of the salient problems of national education. No one will dispute his contention that there is little real physical training in the schools, or deny tho soundness of his views as to what real physical training actually means. His general observations regarding the, health of children are also opportune. Oorroct prin< eiples of hygiene in the home and in the school can only be inculcated by systematically educating tho com. munity to a sense of \its responsibilities to tho children. Congested playgrounds and class-rooms, diseabe-infected school' buildings, and child slavery aro discreditable to a community which professes an enlightened point of view upon social conditions of life. AVe are hardly prepared, though, to follow Mik Macdonald when discussing tho "injudicious parent" he s.iys , "At one time tho education of all tho children of tho community was con* sidered quite Utopian; would it bo regarded as equally visionary t<l suggest that the time may como whcn_ it will pay a country, in ita own interests, to gather all its senior pupils in boardinghouses." The abdication of parental responsibility in any form is a most dangerous lino of action to advocate. Already thore is too groat a, tendency to turn Lo tho State for relief from obligations which rightly belong to tho priv.ite citizen, and the idoa of parents relinquishing tho control of their children at so important a period of their lives shouvl be repugnant

to all who appreciate the sacredness of parental duty. lilt Macdonald toundly condomns the examination fetish. "Examination," he says, "has crept into overything i to such an extent that in many minds tho word examination has become synonymous with education. We are all familiar with that national nuisance, the music examination The Sunday Schools and Navy. followed with their tests; public competitions demand their quota. The school examinations, competency, proficiency, continuation, board scholarships, national scholarships, civil service, and matriculation! succeed in duecourse. Finally, even our highest educational corporation, the New Zealand University, is purely an examining body with its soul resident in Europe." That is all very well. It may be perfectly true that tho term "examination" has, in this country, become synonymous with "education." But in seeking some way of escape from a condition of things which, experts agree, is inimical to the best interests of true education, it -must be lemembered that, fundamentally, the examina tion purports to be a test of efficiency. If it be' true that modern systems and ideals in education have created conditions _ which tend to make the examination test a burden to educationists, then it must be obvious that some radical change in the methods of examination is required, some method whereby, on tho one hand, the work of the instructor is fairly assessed, and, on the other hand, the interests of the pupil properly safeguarded. In this connection, it may be observed that tho wisdom of allowing instructors to examine their own pupils is at least arguable. On the whole,'wo think that the Teachers' Conference has been §iven an excellent lead by tho president, and the public, we feel sure, will follow with interest the subsequent discussions of tho conference upon other aspects of education.