HEALTHY BOYS v AND GIRLS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1593, 9 November 1912, Page 7

HEALTHY BOYS v AND GIRLS.

: COMPULSORY PHYSICAL DRILL. SPECIAL WORK FOR GIRLS. :; V'' : BTAFE'! OF ELEVEN .'INSTRUCTORS. Scientific exercises in physical drill conducted by special •instructors working in ' -' co-operation ;with'--.the recently appointed '.•.medical inspectors are'.to. be nind© compulsory ;for oil!:.children; .attending pfi- •' •; been for- ..\ mulated in ita broad .lines, and,:will bo brought into 'operation "as soon .as the •instructors have been selected. Elementary military training will be optional for the older boys at primary schools, but as "-; only'physical drill will-bo compulsory the establishment of tho scheme will com- ■■. !;.'■•■'plete;.the demilitarisation, of the\ junior V : '■•'■ cadets.'.,-■ ■:■■■•■' ■••-.'■ „■■; '. , .".-'• The schema will be controlled by'the .' ' .Department of Education.; Its general structure was planned by the Minister for: Education (Hon. James Allen) himself. r V His proposals were submitted ■to:a com- ■;•■'. petent advisory' committee, -which approved them and inade recommendations nrregard to:details. Th*> latter were reviewed, by 'the; Inspector-General of Schools, and he in turn approved the r"-scheme. /The advisory committee ... con■»Bulted'by the Minister., comprised tho ■'.-" Inspector-General-of Schools (Mr.. G. Hog- ' ben), Dr. Hardwick Smith- (medical super- , intendent-. of the Wellington Hospital), ■V Major-General Godley (Commandant of tho New .Zealand Forces), Mr. Royd Garlick (an.expert in: physical training), Jfr. Elizabeth Gurin (ono of the-medical in-. specters of .schools), :and- Mrs.. Heap, (directress of phvsical training at the Auck-land-.GirlsV'Grammar;Sdhool);..;;The.v re- ■ ports . agree, .that.; ; compulsory . military - training as organised:in/the junior cadets should be '.replaced :b>v compulsory, .gradii- - nted and' -trainiiig for alHboys. ani.gifls in/thtf primary-.schoqls, lnilitary'drill'.'bein^left.to J be taken up i voluntarily.ii v 'those-schools-that J desire:to . take it .uft'Vnrid.': ttio' of junior cade'ls ata his'staff:b'eirig;repla'ced . 'by a. director' of. physical - training-and a ' aualified;staff.: '; *.";"■ ■'-.."■'; ;,. '';-';,. Drill on; Scientific Lines,.., ' ". \ •With-V.the' object, of., improving "the health and the physique'of the youth of the -Dominion,- physical drill- on scientific lines is to :be given to all boys and: girls throughout'. their attendance at primary eohools.- The drill will consist of • approved graduated exercises,; during; short periods every day. under the direction of the: teachers; and will be compulsory for all.children except; those exempted on medical grounds. General for the guidance of school teachers have been ■stated by.-the Advisory Committee.: It recommended, that the. exercises should include, spnio for .class-room as well as.for the open air. As far as possible physical 'exercises.of young children will be taken quite apart from those of the older chil- '•'. , dren. and.girls and;boys will, be drilled separately. The committee also considered thai men teachers .should .train older boys and women'',-tcachers;.!should:,train,. girls. The* wearing of suitable. ;,dress. ; a'nd i ,shoes without heels encouraged.'. ?,' Instruction of ordinary."physical 'exercises should bo given for teif'tp .fifteen minutes per day:and'dut'of'(lo6rs,"if:possible. In -, addition to the regular-drill, the commit- : tee; advised that !;before:eyery.jesson,' three to five: minutes should be ■ devoted' to breathing exercises arid other simple phy6ical:cxercises in fresh, air, .'and not less .'■■•: than' -three" : of .'these shorter.,,lessons , should be'taken every/day. ;- Aim of the Training.' . •In-order that the drill shall not be moV. notorious, • it- is -intended: that ;it should be. varied by.-organised.games,- such ' as basket'.ball.\ r ;.lt-will be ■.correlated' with the- lessons in first-aid, life-saving, swim- ■•' ruing,- etq., .for -which jprojrisionVis made - in^pthe..Public Schools.^syllab.i^ f ,"an.tl-i in the ..regulations. :for manual' mstructfon. The' V.training. r vrjll. also,- be', co-ordinated, with .the lessons'", and!"training which the . . sifllabiis of instruction in public sohools directs-..,,,t0 ( ,.; : .be /.given-, .under V-the IcadsVof'_ mciral instruction,' civics, and health, wjth tho'. aim of ..encouraging char-acter-formation,: including 'discipline,, selfrestraint, .'jensa' of duty to otherSi and to i the. State.,, With this object, boys and girls will bo mado to fee] that their physical development is largely a matter of their own individual. responsibility. For the encouragement of this attitude towards... tho;. system, on the part.of the . children,. a .-limited, number- of badges will be awarded to school ..prefects aud ' class monitors; for. combination of morali character,; efficiency in physical exercises, and .good influence exercised in various, parts of the school life. -. Certain /res'ponsi-' bjuties ,will.,be entrusted,-toi wearers ■ of. '.<" these badges. -Ihe-c'ommitree.also.recom-mended that endorsements should be mado o'n:;the .certificates,of riteachers.vdisplajnng .' ipecial.excellenoe:-in-.'physical!;inst'ruction.: Recprd./.of Resiilts,-/ « ■Vy?yY'"^:)Z.:,. :: -■An- important -of the. scheme , will te an accurate observation of results.' A record card will be kept for each Child containing'particulars of-, dts physical der . velopment/ iand theso ! will be useful "in determining cases requiring special-treat •:. merit.-: The- cards', will' also provide ' in- ; structive statistics regarding- the effects of the. training. , Boys Over Twelve Years. :'..'" .The same drill will be prescribed for both boys and-girls under twelve years of'agej.but.those.'of that ago'and upwards- . will receive different training. With • a view'to their subsequent'entrance into .the senior cadets, these boys are, in addiv tion to; the compulsory physical training, to do a little squad and company drill (not exceeding .half an hour per ,wcek of school: time), practice shooting with air. ... -rifles,' varied by .lessons in flag-signalling khottin'g'ahd splicing, finding the, points of;the.compass, and other similar exercises. The assistance, of. a non-commis-sioned officer will be given by the Defence Department;..where .'.military "drill Vis. taught, and any.such.drill will-'be subject .to.,jrispectionl)y;a'n.-,ofiicer; appointed by the' Commahdant-LofVthe.'.Force's, and by Whom ' a report "will- be'Vriiade ",to- the Minister forVEducatio'n..".. For: military djillVonly .light., "dummy", .'rifles : . will' be. used.'. The present, junior..cadet;.uniforms-, (except the .utilised.- during drill 'instr,ucfioii,"aii'd"wiir'also' ''be used' (with the, caps) .by, boys "who are old enough;to receive the elementary military training. In "all other respects. the pre- . sent junior.cadek-system will be abolished,- and only .officers holding commissions in the, ; senior/cadets or territorial'forces will be;nllowed to wear uniforms or carry swords,, but:the.,:present junior cadet officers will ,he encouraged to take coinmissiqns in the senior cadets aud territOrialS.-:.....--.: ' ;;' - : Training of Girls. Special recommendations were invited by the Minister in regard to the training of the elder girls; with a view to imbuing them with an appreciation .of the -value of home life arid of impressing them with the special importance of their future lives and the necessity of properly equipping themselves for their responsibilities. The committee : recommended . that girls . must take the \ compulsory ' physical exercises up to the time of leay- . • tag. school. After twelve years of ago they should receive once a week special exercises, including abdominal exercises and balance movements, and breathing exercises in thesupine position'. Instruction is recommended in, elementary physiology, within the range indicated'by the preliminary note on physiology: in the English' • Board, of Education syllabus, ■'•'■■ and in. .'personal, hygieno, special attention being paid to care <.f tho teeth and the mouth, cleanliness, miortance of good habits in eating and diiuking, and the value of fresh air and cleanliness in the home, A modified fir.-t aid and home nursing, course, with special attention to the latter subject, is ncom- j rtended, and the principles of plain ccck- | ing should be tiught practically,, with special' regard to the price of goods used, to the utilising of cold meat snd vegetables, and other means of. avoiding waste. Where possible, housewifery should be taught in a hostel or aflat set apart for the purpose. Encouragement will bo given to school excursions for the purpose of nature study and other forms of original observation." Staff of Instructors. ' 'The'responsibility of the new system will be entrusted to a director cf physical training, who. being himself thoroughly

trained in the principles, will direct and inspect the training in the schools. Ten qualified persons (five men and , five women) will be appointed as instructors and inspectors, and ono of the women will have special charge under the director, of the physical training of girls. These instructors will be given a special course to equip them thoroughly for the work, aud will also be given rctresher courses fri'in time to time. When they have entered upon their duties, the instructors will conduct classes for teachers, mid upon their visits of inspection will give most of their attention to the direction of tho training along scientific lines,, uith especial care to cases of children calling for individual treatment. In all matters tho director and ,the instructors will act in | conjunction on'the one hand vitli tho officers of the« Education Boards, and on the other hand, with the medical inspectors of schools. :-