PHYSICAL EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1775, 13 June 1913, Page 6

PHYSICAL EDUCATION.

PROSPECT OF NEW. SYSTEM.

A report furnished to the Minister for Education (tlio Hon. Jas. Alien) by Mr. T. Rovd Garlick (Director of Physical Education) states that the work of training teachers under the new schemo of physical education in primary schools wa« i started at Napier on Monday. Sixty-six men and 62 lady teachers, representing 120 schools in the Hawke's Bay Education District are undergoing instruction. The training staff consists _of two male instructors, and' two ladies. Tho director is very well satisfied with tho progress that has already been made, 'l'he Chief Inspector in the Hawke's Bay District (Mr. Hill) was also very pkased with what he saw of tho work, and declared himself confident that it would be a success. The teachers, tho director reports, aro immensely interested, and enthusiastic, and somo members of tho board expressed their regret that the whole of the teachers in its employ had not been summoned to attend the training classes. The training staff, however, could not hnvu dealt with any more meantime than tho number actually assembled. "J am quite satisfied," the Minister remarked,- "that good work is being done and that every board will appreciate the special training of its teachers, and that later on tho training of children in the schools will give equal causa for satisfaction. Tho initial expense of the scheme," Mr. Allen', added, "is necessarily somewhat heavy, but a portion of it will disappear when tho present teaching staffs have been trained. The expendituro this ycav will b© fibout but I do not think that the annual expenditure iii subsequent . years will exceod iCSOfIO" or -finooo. Even if it should cost £11,000 a vear, that will bo a very small factor to set off against the benefits received if we get as gootl results as are anticipated. It will be a grand thing to start liltlo boys, and girls out upon a healthy way of living." t The Minister pointed out further that tho old Junior Cadet system had been practically wiped out, so that its cost was bein" saved. It did not cost as much annually as tho ne.v system w costing in tho of its inauguration, but Mr. Allen iloes not anticipate that the new systeni, when jt is in woTkiig order, will cost any vnovc than the Junior Cadet system. There could be no difference of opinion, ho remarked, i.n conclusion, as to tlio respective benefits to lie derived from tlio two systems. Tho physical education of •the children was likely to produce incomparably moro valuable results than the Junior Cadet system had ever done.