CONTINUATION CLASSES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 919, 12 September 1910, Page 11

CONTINUATION CLASSES.

''.; -AN.; EDUCATIONIST'S VIEWS. • Some interesting observations on the subject of the proposal to develop in New Zealand a.system, of continuation classes were made by Mr. W; S. La. Trobe, Director- of .the .Wellington Technical School, .when. discussing' the question during .the course of a convcrsation,,with' a Dominion'reported.'- 'Mr. La Trobe said ; .that;lie:'dosired..t<) ; make-it quite clear that he regarded'tne.proposal;as in-no 'way '- --'He ■ pointed to" thd! ; khqwn fact.that, compulsory continuation classes-had .been from time to timo advocaed by educationists in, New Zealand, though hitherto.,without ef-r feet. This result, he said,.was duo simply to a. failure on tho.part of Now Zcalanders to recognise the merit of the proposal. It had now been adopted -.in-Scotland, and had been successful, so far as one could hear. This had naturally brought it into prominence- inothoi- English-sneaking countries, and compulsory continuation work had now come to be. viewed in' a practical light where . hitherto. it had been accorded only-academic consideration. ;. . y : ;Mr. La : . Trobe , stated that, he'.considered the proposed continuation instruction hardly second in importance even to primary education.' •,. "The point of thowholo! thing; is," he\ said,' "that-boys and girls leaving school at the age of thirteen or four T teen usually :'do?hot! take up any. !trade or''permanent- occupation for another two, years a-t'-least. .For a. couplo of years or; so they are-engaged in various.odd - jobs that servo-to >bring in, a little grist to the mill.,' Meantime they, inmost cases, deteriorate, rapidly,-for-getting what they have been : taught, and learning little that will be of use to them in after life unless their parents take in hand the task, of continuing their education. ■ ■ On'..the. influence of': parents it - is. impossible in this case to rely.: A parent is not expected by our paternal Government—or by any sort of Government as a matter of fact '—to supervise the primary. education''of his children, and he cannot he expected W undertake! the task when-they have passed primary school age. Consequently children- got in their!;homes nor at school any special training during these two years, although they.;might be profitably spent, particularly by boys, in prfeparing for their life work.- Tho country would profit if it paid the parents of boys the five shillings or so, a. week they may earn in the.year or two following their departure from the primary! school and sent them, again- to school.,"

t The question of compulsory continuation classes,'. Mr- La. Trobe, continued, had come up at length on its merits. The proposal was so obviously sound that it was como into prominence sooner or latter. . When! parents camo'to recognise its merits it would certainly elicit their approval.