THE SCHOOL WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1247, 2 October 1911, Page 3

THE SCHOOL WORLD.

A WEEKLY REVIEW. NOTES FROM TOWN AND COUNTRY Teachers and others interested.in the ad* ministration of education arc invited t,o contributo notes for publication m "Tho School World." These should bo addressed to- the Editor. "Tho World," The Dominion. WeUwcton* and pnptcd to reach this oihee not later than Wednesday in each week* Correspondents desiring enliphtenmem upon any question in ronncctsoa wuj* tho school work, or the General an* ministration of tho education aro invited to submit these points w tho Kdilor for elucidation and Tepry. V/here anonymity is desired, it will oe etrictlr observed.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Candidate/' —Tho Education Department's examination for junior national scholarships is (vide the Departments annual report). now used by all the education hoards for tlio award of their junior scholarships, superseding thus without exception any examination locally conducted in earlier years for this purpose. For the award of their senior scholarships tho hoards conimonlv, but not exchisiwlv, use the Civil Service junior examination. Apart from this extension of its functions, the Civil Servico junior examination is employed for a variety of purposes. Either in its proper competitive form, or with certain modifications in selected subjects to meet the needs of a non-competitive qualification, it is thus used not oal.v as an entrance examination for the Civil Service of the Dominion, but as a scholarship examination, an examination for the senior free place qualification in secondary schools and district high schools, ail examination for pupil teachers of the second or third years, and a qualifying examination for the probationer appointments recently instituted under the provisions of the Education Amendment Act, 1908. In its non-ccmpetitive form tins examination is better known as the intermediate. examination, and will be so designated' in future.

RURAL SCHOOL COURSES. ENVIRONMENT AND TEACHING. "In most cases the adoption of a rural course—or, in other words, the attempt to bring tho curriculum of tho rural schools into closer touch with their environment—has been attended with results which must bo regarded as encouraging in view of the many real difficulties to he surmounted, and, in a few instance?, of tho opposition to he overcome," is the interesting eommcnt of the late Minister for Education (Mr. Fowlds) in his last report to Parliament. "Much of this opposition," ho says, "is probably largely due to a .misapprehension of die end in view, which is something more than the preliminary training of young persons for agricultural pursuits. It is not the {unction of tho district high school to train pupils for this or that profession, vocation, or trade, but rather to provide a general education —an education that will prepare them for trlie duties of manhood or womanhood. A curriculum that is dcfinitelv related to the pupils' environment is at'least as likely to achieve this end aa ono that is not. It is a matter for surprise and regret to know that in the case of some school?, happily few in number, tho proposal to adopt a rural course lias been opposed by. members of the teaching profession. It is, of course, recognised that the present arrangements are to be regarded as tentative and provisional. The difficulty of obtaining teachers possessing the necessary experience and practical' knowledge has compelled Education Boards to rely mainly on the system of instruction by itinerant teachers, whereas if tho best results are to be obtained, the instruction, or most of it, should undoubtedly be provided by the regular staff. This and.other disabilities to which it is unnecessary here to refer will, it is hoped, disappear in time; meanwhile some progress has been made in. the direction of attaining the end in view, and the opinion is confidently expressed that in the not far distant future what has been, and is now, though to a less extent, regarded as a particular and special course of instruction for the f-w will become tho recognised course for all so far as the rural schools are concerned."

' "FESTINA LENTE." COMPCI.SOR'f STUDY FOR ADOLESCENTS. "The prolilem of the further education, control, and discipline of adolerocnts is to-day engaging the attention of progrcssivo "nations throughout t'nc world," was the prefatory observation to an iii-tprcvt-ing dissertation on compulsory continuation schools for Now Zealand adole'ccnts, which appears in tho last annual report of tho lato MinistcT for Education (Air. I'Viwlds). "As stated in last year's report, tiis Education (Scotland) Act of 1008 imposes 011 School Boards UlO duty of talcing fuller cognisance of tho period of adoiesce.nce and of making suitable provision for the further instruction of young people over fourteen years of ago who are r.ot otherwise receiving n. suitable education. It is gratifying to know that many of the fccm/. 1 -* i,i.su\iri ara muismg their responsibilities in t'lie matter and are exerting themselves to most ns far as may be tho requirements of their respective districts. It need hardly l» fiaid that they arc proceeding cautiourly. Every means s'hert of compulsion is being used to fester a movement for tho better 11s? of the yon to of adolescence as a preparation for adult life. It is significant that tiio first proposals, in tho shape of by-laws, for compulsory attendance ai continuation clas.vcs sho ild conic from rural boards. 'I'his, however, must net bo taken as an indication that tile urban boards as a whole are inactive. On tho contrary, savernl of them, notably tho School Boards of Edinburgh and Glasgow, are showing an over-increasing interest in the matter. TSiey prefer, however, to exhaust all other available means before applying compulsion. Conferences with employers and employed have bceji widely lie! I, while a large amount of what may bo termed missionary work _ has been accomplished. Searching inquiries havo also been instituted with tho view of aMrertaining how far young people are profiting by the opportunities offered, I'lio important fact that by-laws even if nia/i> must !>e largely innp-'i-a ■ ,-o >. nlcss backed by a healthy public opinion appears to bo thoroughly iec\->gnis<nl. It is worthy of no to in this connection that the Scotch Education Department, in. a circular letter issued in 1009 dealing with the compulsory (vl'K.'ition niKstiop. r'V.jmmrr.ds School Boards to use every device to stimulate voluntary effort before applying compulsion; and, further, that i'ho COlll- - of the Privy Council on Education in Scotland, in their icport for the year 1900-10, state that thov have no desire that in this weighty matter ,School Boards should act otherwise than with the greatest deliberation and circumspection. "As regards New Zealand," continues, tho "tho amending Act of last sossion empower.; school committees to request Education Boards to framo regulations requiring tho attendance at continuation or technical classes of young prop's within the school district who are r.flt otherwise receiving a suitable education, or who are not specially exempted by s.-.srft regulations. Already there am indications in certain districts of a desire to tclablit.h compulsory claws under file Act, and in one district at least regulations have been drafted. Tho attention of those who are moving in tho matter is earnestly invited to what has been said in regard to the attitude of tho Scotch School Boards to tho question of compulsory education for adolesopnte. Jt is of iW utmost importance th.it nfl definite action should be eontemnilated until there is good Toa.-on for believing that the sehcol district is ready for the chanim, nor until a well- | corradercd and practicable scheme o[ in-«h-uction suited to tho needs of the district and of the young peivons concerned has Iw.-ri form 11 lotted. Tho Education Bowls ill t.ho various districts in wliic.h attention is being given to tho ntifr--tien of eompulfnry attenda.ll.eo 110 doubt fully rwgnisp that lo put forward. lor the sake, of being first in the field, some ill-considered scheme unsnited io the district end unsatisfying to the students would bo to court failure at the outset.