THE BRITISH PARENT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 919, 12 September 1910, Page 7

THE BRITISH PARENT.

SCEPTICAL ABOUT EDUCATION. •■:."One contributing 'cause of, the shortness :of.'.secqndary-school life-is the' absence , in the V community of .a" hearty and thorough .belief, in the .advantages of education, or, at all ovents, of secondary education," thinks-the Ministerfor; Education, reporting to.'. Parliament oh the,: condition and i>rbgres's •' of secondary : in New Zealand. "The 'average British 'parent-ican hardly be expected ". to grow enthusiastic, over (the-intellectual training,to:be- derived by. his. children .from -the':, study, of mathematics;:'and foreign:' languages;; or oven over the moral .training 'the schools. afford; if-he .does' not see clearly that his ~sons, and daughters are being prepared for, the.', technical ■ work of their future life, he.is apt to : .be:somewhat :sceptical,-in)' regard, to; the. advantages of any education'.beyoiid.: the primary stage.,"To%some extent' his scopticism has' probably ■ been justified in'the.past;', but the. present movement, towards making, the -work of the high: schools; more vocational-incharacter will,'if properly carried' out, jniebt' this objection.'''.' ,' Owing principally,;- to the fact' "that the:;;pplipy -has been .steadily followed of handing oyer: natrve-; schools -to the education boards a's 'soon, as the pupils •have":become, educationally at least, : so far European in.'chara'cter that-they can be; conveniently taught with European children, the number, of Maori cnildre_n iii'the public schools, as compared with those in the Native schools,, is on the,.increase;';;_This pointTis reached when the Maori can:use English fluently .in his ..ordinary, conversation., .." It"-', is" part of the. same policy .to assimilate the programme >of . work 'in ' .Native schools .as nearly ,'as possible. to that in public schools, and to make no ■ distinction in point '-of ,'salary, between, teachers in. the two classes of schools.'■'."''