CONTINUATION CLASSES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 912, 3 September 1910, Page 9

CONTINUATION CLASSES.

'.-.■ ■THE GOVERNMENT'S. SCHEMi. ' SOME ' CHIUSTCHTJRCH.:: OPINIONS ■.. (By Tolcgrapli.—Special UorrespmideiiUi .' . .'■' - r "'-.! ~ Chrlstchiirchi Septeuibei iV :' The Government's scheme.; of compulsory continuation .night . classes;" inr. all. 'children. , betweon l<l and; 17.years of ago hr.s aroused considerable, .interest' , -Via Ultristchiircli. '. '■ V-: - ' ; --' • '.. ' Mr. J. A: Frostick, president of-tliu ■■.Canterbury-.; Employers' .:' Association, spoiildng to a. ."Presi" reporter,'; said' Iho t under, tlio present conditions a boy.oiten took up n particular', trade "by" pure accidtnt. lie. left school,' and -getting- the. best job available, ■ ofteii drifted into-a trade with which lie. was- totally, put" of. sympathy. When a;' boy ■ ■ wus-v.- in % the fourth standard, say, his teachiir 'should, be,'required*'to ascertain, his bent> Jle certainly, thought, that' if this could be ascertained the boy should, ufter leaving the. primary" school, be compelled .',to . at-, tend continuation, classes- for th'ci ';' purpose of receiving- technical instruction in the particular, industry ho was best .fitted for, even, though lie might-not-be 'actually engaged ,in it. . :'"■'■ .7, ■':'■ '"-., ■ '■■ ':']'. l - ■ ■' . Mr. C;H.Opity chairman of the Ildncatioii Board, ■ 'suid of .courso nnvthing •sayouriugiof compulsion was.viewed with suspicion and . opposition by Britishers generally, but tlio strenuous life. we. had ,to load nowadays, arid 'the..nacc -we bad to keep, forced us. to abandon the. position' ive had previously -taken, up. , jMr. Opie considered that,it was probable thi> ■ Government's idea, had resulted from... the introduction of a'fleiv Scotcli Educntiun Bill, which: had coins into force on Janu-ary-1;.1909.' Hβ. hoped the School mittee .with whom the; compulsory clause rested would be. united in. -the , -"matter, for it; was obvious that if; oiily- part'of them decided to enforce it, ai»l;,tlie'rest abstained, in a , city like Chris'teh'urch ii. would cnu=o nothing but'confusion. ■ Thi: necessity for the 'continuation classes, arose from the, fact' lh lib such';, a '■■](! rjjp number of our : pupils did not. pass the sixth , standard. .No less than 54; per cent, of : the boys, and 53 per. cent, of: 'the. girls.. left school • in : this fashion, .and only,a small -percentaßc 01, those reached the' technical schools. Many 'of,. tliese,' when seventeen'-.years'of-age,-seemed to' have lost .all the - education they had ever learnt, and had to begin all over again.- The.result of"tho new scheme. would, be . tjiat. the piipils. would go straight from the.primary; school, and consolidating the education they received there, do more, advanced work tliaii / they did. at prewnt,'" and. also" do it 1 more , thoroughly. There". was -:- also the . moral aspect. . .Between fourteeii : and'seventeen' was the most impressionable period, aridchildren left ivithout a'guiding authority at. a time ,when they' most badly needed it,-.often got under bad influences, and graduated ■ into larrikins. ■ .■, ■