EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1512, 7 August 1912, Page 5

EDUCATION.

INCREASED. EXPENDITURE, THE INDUSTRIAL .SCHOOLS. The average attendance in the public schools of the Dominion was greater during tho year 1911 than in any previous year, reaching 142,186, or 6,448 moro than that for the year 1910 ; the increase (which is still going on rapidly) was due partly to the increase of population, and partly to the effects of the more' stringent provisions ns to school attendance included in the Education Amendment Act, 1908. It is. estimated that the average attendance for the currant year will be. liearlv, if not quite, 148,000. A further step towards the improvement of I he staffing of schools allowed by the Act just named was taken by substituting adult teachers" for pupil-teachers in schools of; certain grades. From nil tln-so causes i.t'is necessary to augment considerably the amount provided for the salaries ut teachers and for grants to Education Boards. There are also large increases in the number of pupils holding free places in secondary schools and in the number attending classes for manual Mid technical instruction, and a consequent increase in the amounts asked for under these heads. The Keport of 'he Education Commission was laid upon the table of the House that afternoon. There will not be time this session to give it the careful consideration it deserves, and the Government has decided to defer until next session any legislation which may bs necessary as a result- ot the commission's labour's. Juvenile Delinquency. The ■Government is seriously impressed with the rapid increase during (lie past few years in the number of buy* between ten and sixteen years of- age who have. beeu tent to industrial schools. To mm" extent, this -increase, is-attributable to I he increase of.populnfion. and to the greater recognition . by magistrate* and the police of- the fact that, these school* .are not merely places of detention, but that

they aro a powerful means of giviuß boys .Hid girls who are not under effective parental contr.il a mural and other 'educational ■ upbrjiißiiijj to. fit them for tho duties ol citizenship-i-an acquirement that I is nt Ri-ciil importance to the public welfare, whether considered from the moral or tin. bnnnciiil standpoint. There is,, however, a more cogont reason' for this increase. A careful investigation of- tho particular? respecliiiß boys of (his n B o who come under the, operation of the ludiistrio] Schools Act'on account of vnKrancy, want: of control, or being charged with punishablo offences, shows that in no fewer than 77.3 pur cent of the cases either one or both of the parents is of roccl character, 'i'his fact is a very stiong indication of the laxity or inability of parents' in the discharge of their responsibilities. As further show, ins that the fault is mainly in the children's improper upbringing, it is to bo remarked that authentic information obtained years lifter discharge irom control .shows that oiily 8.1 per cent of the young people who have passed through" industrial school? can be classed afterwards as of bad character, "Friendly Direction." .Arguing from these premises, the Government has decided to approach this problem from another direction, and. relying upon the approval and support of magistrate*, which is essential to effective working, confidently hopes that the object in view will be successfully reached. Briefly, the scheme is that when a boy is first brought before (he Court for delinquency and the magistrate is satisfied that the moral influence of the parents' home is not detrimental but (hat tho control is not strong enough to prevent further trouble, the" magistrate, on being satisfied also that tlm case is not, one necessitating such a serious step as the actunl admission of n boy lo an industrial school, should at his discretion make an Older formally attaching him lo an industrial schcbl. That having been done, he, by arrangement with the Education Department,'"-would be allowed to remain with r his parents, but would bo.under the friendly direction of an officer of that T)cpnrtnient. Such officers would be chosen for;'their .special experience and' (nullifications in dealing-with hoys, and the objective would lie, of course, tn supplement weak parental control, and by doing this; to avoid committal to industrial schools, which implies the breaking of the family tic, the lessening of direct parental responsibility, and an upbringing in conditions (hat can-never take ■ the plae.6 of a good home, no matter how high a level of sympathetic and enligntoned administration is attained by Iho officers of these schools. If a youth after being placed on probation in tin's way failed to behave satisfactorily, (lie order i'or his admission to the school would by direction of the Minister far Education become operative without need of further Court proceedings. The same remarks apply, of course, to girls also. The Financial Aspect. The Government is very hopeful that such a .scheme as is here outlined will bo successful in reducing the number of children in residence at our industrial schools; and, looking at'the financial aspect of the matter, the consequence will be a distinct decline in expenses of maintenance; further, the need for establishing now institutions at a cost of many thousands of pounds will be indefinitely postponed. . . ' Tho accommodation at the boys' industrial schools is severely taxed' at tho present time, the Wereroa Boys' Training. Farm, the Stoke Industrial School, and Burnhnm being all full. It is hoped, however, that menus Hint are. available, particularly tho scheme for placing certain delinquent boys and girls on probation instead of sending them to industrial schools, will have tho ofi'ect. of considerably relieving this pressure in tho near future. Care of tho Fceble-Minded and Epileptic. ■It'seems to be desirable that at an" early date the provision for Hie cnve nni\ ediiention of ■feeble-minded and epileptic boys and girls should be made as complete as possible. Inquiries have shown that tho number of feeble-minded and epileptic children in the Dominion is too large for the , accommodation that can be provided at Otckaikc. It is accordingly proposed to • reserve that institution, entirely for boys/and to make, provision for the girls at Richmond, near Nelson, on the premises originally bought for this purpose, but hitherto used as a home for imbecile boys, who are to bo transferred shortly to Tokanui. It will be necessary to erect extra cottnge homes and other buildings both at Olekaiko and Richmond.' Medical Inspection of School-Children, I'our medical officers have been appointed to begin, in conjunction with the teachers, the work of the medical inspection of school children. It is necessary, especially at first, to keep clearly in mind the distinction between medical inspection and medical treatment. It is not proposed to touch the latter, at all (vents at present. But it is expected that this Hmo of tho medical inspectors will be fully occupied in tho work of medical anil dental inspection, and ultimately in training the teachers to take, their part in (ho scheme. The system is to be supervised by tho Health Department in co-operation with the Education' Department. Every effort will be used to make the system of school inspection, which is one of tho most important parts of the field of preventive 'medicine, as complete as possible. New Schools. When a country like New Zealand is in course of being settled, it; becomes necessary in tho initial stages, to set up a much larger number of small schools Uian in an older country where population is denser and there, are better roads. Tho additional initial cost thus incurred, and tho greater cost of maintenance and working; are properly part of the cost of settlement; this fact has, perhaps, never h:>en' fully recognised in New- Zealand. Settlement is proceeding rapidly, especially in the North Island, and it must accordingly bo expected that; for some time'to rom« the expenditure on new school buildings will continue to incrense. As seltlenifjit proceeds and good roads become available it would appear to be good policy to replace some of. the smaller schools by central schools more adequately fitted for tho important work of education. I