The Dominion. THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1913. A NATIONAL EDUCATION SCHEME.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1804, 17 July 1913, Page 6

The Dominion. THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1913. A NATIONAL EDUCATION SCHEME.

The education question is soon to occupy the attention of the British Parliament once more. Both ajORD Haldane and Mr. Pease (President of the Board of Education) have already given some indications of the Government's intentions, and now wo are. informed by a' cablegram published in another part ;of this issue that a short Bill has beetr introduced to enable immediate relief to be afforded to education authorities, and 'that the debate on this measure will give the Government an opportunity to explain its policy regarding the development of a national scheme of education. Lord Haldane contends that the present English system is not a national one in the true sense, and he gives the following sketch in the Nation of his views on this aspect of the question: — The essence of a national system is that the education of the people and of every olass of the people of the country is of vital concern to the State. The State has, therefore, the right to see that those who conduct education are fit to conduct it properly, and the State has also the duty of enforcing this- right by seeing that unfit persons do not teach. But what 1 have said does not mean that a national system must of necessity be bureaucratic—that is to say, controlled in its details by a Government Department. Such a system may succeed best if a large discretion as to details is left to those who are most familiar with the different parts of the country and the conditions and sentiments which prevail in them, be they local authorities or be they individuals. But these, if .they are' to be allowed to take_ part in educating the coming generation, must, under an adequate system, give proof that they aTe fit tu do it, and that they are actually accomplishing it. The State must superintend, even though it docs not interfere with their work, and it must guide and also stimulate and aid that work. This it can do in many ways which are indirect, without trenching unduly on that liberty of judging on the spot which is the great advantage of decentralisation. Lord Haldane believes that secondary education is at present the weakest point in the system and that until it is brought within the scope of a real national scheme satisfactory advances cannot bo made. He urges that there should be no breach of continuity between the primary and secondary schools, and that a student should normally enter the University, not by passing a matriculation examination, but by producing a secondary school certificate, based on his record there, and showing that he has become qualified to assimilate the benefit of a still higher type of instruction. The system would thus become an organic whole, which should embrace the physical and social, as well as the mental and moral, life of the scholar. Lord Haldane's announcement gave rise to a very interesting discussion. In an address to the National Union of Teachers Mr. Pease said that the Government did not propose to destroy the present system; nor did they propose to centralise; but to accept the existing principle that the local authorities should be made responsible in the main for the work of education. The idea was to fill up the gaps and to expand the scope of educational effort, so that.the boys and girls might be better fitted to render the best possible service to the State. They must take account of the conditions of youth . from the cradle up to the universities. The broad principle was to secure that the best brains of the whole community should get to' the top, and to provide thai, there should lie a general diffusion of knowledge so that they would possess an educated democracy. Mr. Pease did not indicate how the Government intended to deal with the religious difficulty; buf as soon as it became known that an im-

portant Education Bill was under consideratipn the representatives of the various Churches at once began to make their position known to the Government, and tho advocates of the secular solution also displayed renewed activity. The Nonconformists sent a letter to Mr. Asquith demanding that their grievances should be removed, and the Roman Catholics protested against any 'change which would put them at a disadvantage because of their faith. The Archbishop of York (Dr. Lang) said he welcomed a scheme which would co-ordinate the whole educational system of tho country, and hoped that religious instruction would be regarded, not as an awkwardness to be evaded or avoided, but as a great object at all costs to be secured in every class of school enabling the children to be taught in accordance with the religious beliefs of their parents. This aspect of the question is certainly beset with difficulties, but many people think that the prospects of a satisfactory agreement between the contending parties are brighter than when the matter was previously before Parliament. Religious education is no doubt a troublesome problem, but the secular solution would never be accepted as a final settlement. The education of the peoole is a matter that concerns all civilised communities, and in view of the fact that important reforms in our own school system have been foreshadowed by the Hon. James Allen, the official explanation of the new proposals of the British Government will be awaited with great interest in this part of the world.