NATIONAL EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1491, 13 July 1912, Page 6

NATIONAL EDUCATION

ROYAL COMMISSION

BIBLE LESSONS IN SCHOOLS.

PHYSICAL TRAINING. A DOCTOR GIVES EVIDENCE. . Tho Royal Commission appointed by the Mackenzie Government to inquire into the condition and progress of national education in New Zealand resumed- its eittings in Wellington yesterday morning, Mr. Mark Cohen (chairman of the Commission) presiding. The Rev. J. H. M. Mackenzie, ex-chair-man of the. Nelson School Committee, submitted a statement, in which ho advocated the abolition of boards and committees, and the substitution therefor of a system whereby the teaching staff, equipment and inspectors would be controlled by a central authority, leaving to tho local bodies provision of school sites, buildings, and upkeep. v/ Mr. Mackenzie added that the national system would be safeguarded from the dangers of denominationalism if a clause recognising indirectly the : Nelson system of Bible teaching in schools were introduced to the Act, to this effect:— •'■■ "Notwithstanding tho provisions of' Clause 143 (b),. any committee,'under a board, which prescribes that the: teaching time shall exceed twenty . hours per week, shall be at liberty to reduce this excess of time by half an hour per week, when requested so to do by citizens wishing to give religious instruction."

"Demilitarisation." Mr. Geo. Crawshaw, secretary of tho Hawke's Bay Education Board, gave evidence on behalf of his board. He contended that the grants made by the Department for the provision of new schools were insufficient. The Hawke's Bay Board's debit balance on its building account at the end of; 1911 was ,£6197 IGs.. 6d. ' This sum, which should be available for the replacement'of buildings and furniture, had been spent in assisting to provide new. schools. Another item of expenditure at present charged against the maintenance and rebuilding fund was that of drainage connections with systems lately established in the largo centres in the Hawke's Bay. district. In fonr years the board had spent ..fiIOOO in this work, and was faced with prospective . expenditure amounting to ,£1750., . Cost of conveying children to school should be provided, to avoid the multiplication of email schools. On the subject of junior cadet training, Mr. Crawshaw advocated'the demilitarising of the present organisation up to; ascertain point. , He thought that - tho battalions system should be. abolished, but that squad drill and company organisation should be retained!" Instruction , on the use of the rifle should, also'be retained, as-it was desirable that boye should have such acknowledge, of firearms, in the interests of public safetv, as would reduce the danger of accident.

Physical Training; On.Wrong Lines. Some interesting suggestions wore embodied in a statement submitted-by Mr. J. A. Duffy, of Wellington, an instructor in physical training. . His observations in the work of physical training as earned out in certain New Zealand schools-T----in Otago and Wellington—he had visited led him to the conviction that, the instruction, .given- ...was . unsatisfactory— teachers , with no ; inclination • and -. less, knowledge ,b'f the principles', of physical training were giving' the lessons. The training of children for spectacular displays (considered by experts to be useless as correct training), predominated, merely to gratify tho whim of school committees who like to have something nice for the "break-ups." He condemned tho junior cadet system, which catered for boys of a'certain age only. The system of military drill was overlapping'into'the senior cadet and Territorial training; Under the present system children": were instructed by military instructors "who jiavo neither knowledge' nor experience in handling children. He saw boys being instructed in physical exercises intended for _ trained soldiers—work whicli the English Board of Education found most unsuitable for children. Hβ euggested that greater prominence should be given the subject m the school syllabus, and the English scheme of exercises (with additional Swiss figure marching exercises for-deportment), adopted. There should t>B ft Direotor of Physical Training for the Dominion, with one trained instructor in each district, to instruct the teachers. Iho junior cadets should be demilitarised.

A Lady Principal's Views. Miss M. Lorimer, principal of the Nelson Girls College, agreed that the primary school syllabus was a good and to-to-date on e, bnt it needed for ita interpretation much higher teaching ability and a broader and more intelligent outlook on the part of the teacher' than sufficed for tho syllabus and system it superseded. Ine old system certainly gave a certain ghbncss of expression, because it was largely book knowledges poured in in readiness for being poured out at examination timo, but .the obsorvatdonal faculties were trained hardly at all, and originality was not encouraged. In arithmetic, for instance, the new syllabus had reduced the amount of work and encouraged more rational method, but still further reduction would be an improvement. The general result of the new system had been m the direction of developing all the powers of the child.' The secondary eyllabjis was built up on thatof the primary eohool, andehe considered it would be advantageous to eliminate Bome of the arithmetio now taught,' especially in-the case of girls. At present girls spent.hours in wrestling with problems of.no possible use to them, and the tamo so occupied could be much, better spent v over English, or 'history, or some more humanising eubject. The work of, primary and secondary schools should bo better correlated," but primary. Bchbols should not be regarded as merely preparatory to the secondary" schools, as very many pupils never passed tD ,tho latter. There was no reason why the primary ' wo/k , should bo specially modified (o'fit in with the secondary work. In reply to questions, Miss Lorimer said thut the colonial accent had become more pronounced in recent years, 'and some special means had to be adopted to correct' it. 'She thought it most desirable that some arrangements should be - made for the, proper training of secondary teachers. Instruction in sex physiology came best from ~the parenfe, but failing this epecially q u °J'hed medical instructors ehould.do-the work.-• : . ,

Schogl Buildings: The Ideal. ' Dr. H. J. M'Lean, of Wellington, president, of' the local branob. of the British Medical Association, dwelt upon.some educational matters from the medical aspect. Sch.oolhouses, he said, should be situated where thero is a free circulation of air, no obstruction of light, and away from noises and dust. The standard schoolroom should be oblong, SOffc. by 25ft., with, a height of 18ft., and providing each pupil square feet of floor space, and'2oo cubic' feet of air space—theso space requirements should bo compulsory, irrespective of size. Lighting should be mainly from the left, and when that source was insufficient, might be augmented from the right or the rear._ Ventilation should receive careful attention, and tho temperature of the schoolroom should be about 65 degrees\Fahrenlieit. These points constituted the essentials, and the design of every school-house should conform to the essentials. Vmrandahs added would provide opportunity of qperi-air tenohine when the:conditions were favourable. All plana, specifications, etc, for school buildings should be examined, and approved by a central expert, or. alternatively, standard plans might be drawn up for different erodes of schools, designed to provide for future enlargements. Children should not receive formal teoching till seven years of ago—the kindergarten period should be extended.? Below the age of ten, the instruction per day should not exceed ten hours, Abovo that he would suggest: ten years, twenty hours per week; twelve years, twenty-five hours; fourteen years, thirty hours; sixteen years, thirtyfive hours. Physical culture wea necessary for .bruin growth as much as. mental exercise was for brain development.

schools now: being inaugurated would be of great benefit, and the 6cheme had. the approval of the medical profession ae a whole. Ono of the most important points for a teacher to note was the presence of fatigue, mental and physical. Was a child being overworked? Wae it tired physically? Was its general health such that it was able to perform its duties with a normal degree of effort and concentration? These were points which teachers should be trained to note read"As regards sex physiology," said Doctor M'Lean, "no ono outside the medical profession knows how ' nvuch' is included under this. Certain facts hayo to be learned; and they should be learned at the proper time, and in the proper way. Who ore the right ones to deal with this? I say the parents. If they' fail in their duties, and as the State ie gradually assuming tho duties of the parents, the State nnist do it through the schools. I cm afraid very few teachers are competent to deal with this matter properly, but in our new medical inspectors we will hare the , right and' capable persona to deal with- this important subject." Part. of. Dr. M'Lenn's, evidence on the subject of sex physiology was taken in committee.

Evidence was also given by Mr. H. L. Fowler, Principal of Nelson Boys' College. ■ '• Posted statements covering aspects of the education system already traversed by previous witnesses.were received from Mn W., KeiT, mathematical and science master at Napier Boys' High School, Hiss E. Chaplin (representing tho North .Canterbury District Educational Institute), Mr. B. Thomas (Taranaki), H. Trumble (chairman of the Taranaki Education. Board), Miss C. Mackay (Stratford, Taranaki), Mr. A. G. Thompson (woodwork instructor, Nelson), and Mrs. J. H. Probyn (an ex-teachev resident in Wellington). ' .

Some Suggested Reforms. The Rev. W. J. Comrie, chairman of the Terrace School Committee, approved of the proposed enlargement of Education Board. districts, and ho considered that the division of districts into wards should be abolished. By this means parochial feeling would be diminished, and the teachers would bo given increased opportunities of promotion. School districts also should- be grouped to make larger districts. This was especially desirable in cities. Tho grants for residential expenses were- insufficient and should be increased. It" was not, however, desirable or practicable to do away with the small country schools. He thought tho appointment of teachers should be in the hands of boards and their inspectors. .He did not believe that committees should have ' any .-■ , considerable share in the appointment of teachers, for he had seen tho present system work badly very ■ often. - He thought -the. present .syllabus should be further simplified, and that there'should be fewer outside, examinations. He, -argued also that the agelimit for free places should be abolished,for some boys and , girls were often late in mental, development,.,as their physical development: was often retarded by sickness.- ' •' •■ ' Professor Mills.

Walter Thomas Mills outlined his experience as- : a teacher in the schbols in the United States,. and .as the controller of private schools of his. own, ..but disclaimed any title, to .the name "Professor" as it is applied in New Zealand. In other, words, he' had' ; ,never .occupied a chair in a University, College. He delivered a short lecture to the commission on the Socialistic • conception of the State's d>ityto children,, and what ho .considered were the fundamental principles on which the education scheme should' be based. One of his ideas was'that the State should provide one meal—scientificallTC.prDpaied —at noonday, served in the schools. He advocated industrial 'training as 'a course in all higher schools. Of general culture he 'had , nothing to sajr. except to suggest that political, economic, and municipal questions should be much more generously provided for in a school course. His idea was that the school be. the centre of the community's social li'e, that the school should have a library attached to it, that it should provide entertainments ta replace the nightly picture show, and that there should be in the school a room to offer the usual comforts now left to be provided for by : private enterprises, and of ten, furnished anions demoralising surroundings. He formulated a scheme by wliich boys br combining industrial training in which they would really produce something," with other studies could earn their living and earn their education. He also suggested that there ehould be a email printing' plant attached to every school. Dr. Tniby Iving gave evidence in camera on the teaching of physiology. To-day, at 10 a.m., Dr. King will lecture in the Concert Chamber on "Medical Aspects of Education."