EDUCATION OF GIRLS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2933, 20 November 1916, Page 2

EDUCATION OF GIRLS

The following letter has been addressed to the Minister of Education by the Women's Social Investigation League:— . , ~ Sir, —-Tho enclosed motion, dealing with .the report of the Council of Education on the education of girls, was carried btv a large majority at a well attended public meeting of women held at Victoria College, under the auspices of tho Women's Social Investigation League. The meeting was held especially to consider the report. During the discussion the following points were strongly emphasised by the speakers :— 1. That the primary school # is_ no place for specialisation. Investigations have shown that before the of U vocational education along special lines is not advisable. In any case to begin in Standard 111 to differentiate for "iris, as the report suggests, would be contrary to sound educational principles. , 2. That complete segregation ot boys and girls almost all the way through their school course, as the report suggests, tends to produce harmful results in tho after life of the pupil. It creates artificial conditions not found in the community, where co-operation between men and women is necessary. This co-operation should, to a certain extent, be encouraged, in tho school. Under wise supervision good results arc obtained. ■ . ■ 3. In the case or girls as well as boys, classification should be according to' ability and special aptitudes, and not according to sex or age. i. That when girls have been taught to use their brains and! think, as a rule they are successes in the domestic arena, 'whether they havo bad an aoademic training in domestic arts or not. .' ' , o. That the report is vague and does not definitely indicate whether, any provision should bo made for the girls who have to become independent wageearners. Motion: "That, the report of the Council of Education m regard, to the training of girls tends in the; direction of restricting their aikound development, being based on narrow, rather than on broad, general lines."