YOUTH OF THE NATION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2774, 18 May 1916, Page 6

YOUTH OF THE NATION

ITS EDUCATION CONFERENCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS The triennial- conference of New Zealand secondary schools was opened in Wellington yesterday. Sir. W. J. Iforrell was elected president. Before vacating the chair, the retiring president (Mr. J. W. l'ibbs, M.A.) delivered an address, in the course of which he said that to-day the importance of secpndary education could not be exaggerated, when the position of a nation 'depended on its degree of advancement, literary and scientific. There was a time when the standard of national civilisation was the three K's, but for a country to be in the first class of the nations in this century its whole population must have taken at least the first step in the direction of universal secondary education. Mr. Tibbs said that the constitution of the Council of Education prescribed that out of seventeen members none should be representatives of the governing bodies of the secondary schools of tho Dominion, while four seats were allotted to delegates from the education boards, which controlled primary education. The primary teachers sent four members, and the secondary and technical teachers together sent two. Thus the representation of primary education on the highest educational council was, to the representation of secondary education, a proportion which, to put it mildly, was the inverse of the ratio of the importance attached to these two branches by "The Times." It was much to be regretted that the now Act gave little encouragement to children to enter the secondary schools at an earlier age. Originally the age limit for a free place under a certificate of proficiency was fourteen, and for some obscure reason it was raised to fifteen. It would have been reasonable to expect that in view of the great importance of pushing children on to the secondary. stage, the age limit would, after a few years of trial, have been lowered instead of Taiscd. He had long held the opinion, based on experience in a large school, that all children in the towns should be made to win their free secondary education on the examination of the Department, with the abolition of the paralysing fetish of making the privilege of free high education depend on the child's facility in tackling arithmetical puzzles. He thought that, without putting a strain on young children, they might tako many of them at thirteen years of age.

. "In fairness to the generous system we are called upon to administer," concluded Mr. Tibbs, "it behoves us—both at all times in our daily work and, as now, in conference assembled—to give our best generously; for no profession has received a more direct call than ours to servo our day and generation by raising the moral, physical, and intellectual standard of citizenship throughout the Dominion." Tho Minister of Education (Mr. J. A. Hanan) then addressed tho conference. Mr. Hanan said that ho was pleased to welcomo such a representative conference of a section of education whose possibilities were year by year becoming more plainly recognised. , The secondary schools were tending to become an organic part, instead of a section of our education system. The State was now almost wholly responsible for the upkeep of secondary schools, which were a closer reflection of the democratic ideals of our country than they used to be. The secondary schools were destined to play a great part in the moulding of „the life of the community. They must make one great lesson of all school lessons, namely, Co do effectively- and worthily, what was worthy of being done, strip off useless .trimmings, cense-beating the air in pursuit of useless futilities, and detest smatterings of pretentious nothings. The requirements of national preservation pointed the way for reform. Tho really , effective blending of all classes, trades, professions, and types of men in tho great common end presented by the war must find a parallel in tho days of peace, so that all classes, alt • educational agencies, should unite for the common end of national efficiency.' They must be ready to do away with traditions that did not stand for efficiency. He felt sure the teachers had often chafed under unreal standards. Why not break the fetters, and emancipate pupils! To the teachers all must look for a lead in reform. The following motions were referred, to the Matriculation Committee, and will be considered later:—(l) "That a partial pass in matriculation bo granted to candidates passing \in four or five subjects if failing in one compulsory subject only." (2),"That a pass in one branch of mathematics (including arithmetic) be deemed sufficient for a pass in matriculation." On the motion of Miss Jobson, it was resolved: "That 300 marks be assigned to history in the Junior Public Service Entrance Examination, and not 2flo.as heretofore." Mr. T. D. Pearce moved: "That this conference re=nectfully suggests to the New Zealand University Senate the desirability of revising the schedule of--marks in the entrance scholarships examination with a view to placins the more important subjects on a footing of equality; to flint end it suggests -that in any new schedule of marks, ; English. Latin, science, and mathematics be allotted an equal number of marks." Mr. Walton moved as an amendment, that Mr. Po.arce'i motion should be referred to tbe Matriculation Committee for report. The amendment was carried, j