OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2968, 4 January 1917, Page 6

OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM

MEETING OF N.Z.E.I. ADDRESS BY THE DIRECTOR REFORMS IN PROSPECT The annual meeting of tho New Zealand Educational Institute was opened yesterday in tho Masonic Hall. The president, Mr. Walter Eudey,fof Dunetlin, was in the chair, and thero was a laigo attendance of delegates from all education districts of the Dominion. Thero were also present tho Director of Education (Dr. Anderson) and tho Assistant-Director (Mr. J. Ottiighley). Tho proceedings wero opened with the singing of tho National Anthem, and then at tho request of tbo chairman flie delegates stoorV for a moment to pay a silent tribute to the teachers who havo fallen in the war. Welcome to Wellington. Mr. J. P. Luke, Mayor of Wellington, welcomed the delegates to the city, and expressed* tho proper liospitablo good wishes on behalf of _citizons. He spoke generally of educational affairs in New Zealand, saying that lie believed that in our country tho work of instructing the young was well done, that the teachers wero zealous in carrying out their tasks, and that tho administration was capable and generous. He spoke at lengtn of the difficulties of the country in assimilating the returning soldiers into, tile civil lifo of the country. The Effect of the War. Dr. Anderson, Director of Education, said it cave him_ great pleasure to attend another meeting of the institute, and lie was extremely glad to note tbe growing importance of these meetings. He was in sympathy with many of their aspirations, and he hoped that presently the constitution of the institute would be even more broadened out to include all tbe education forces of tho Dominion. In the past the voice of tho Education Institute had been heard witji effect, and if for the present thero must ho. a pauso in tho march of progress, the {institute might bo assured that the arrest was only temporary. Referring to the effect of tho war op educational ideas, he said that he did not consider that the problems here wore by any means so complicated or so great as at Homo. He did not consider that thero need be any change in the essentials of a primary fiohool course, whatever tho effect of tho war might be. It was in the intormediato schools that tho effect of the war would bo most felt. But even in thesp schools the changes in New Zealand would not be bo groat or so difficult as in England, where in the great body of schools of intermediate character the courses of instruction and the methods of instruction wore ordered after Old World ideas. It was true that somo departure ; from these Old World idoas had already been made before the war in England, but the advance had progressed very much farther in New Zealand. Tho effect of tho war would bo greatly to accelerato the process in England, and perhaps to a,less degreo in New Zealand. ' Primary Sohool Essentials. 1 Ho sjioko of tho essentials of a pri- ' mary school education, declaring tuat an acquaintance with reading, writing, and arithmetio must no longer be ac- ' cepted as all that was essential in a ' primary school education. This defini- ■ tion would leave out of account tho 1 development of expression. One of tho duties ot the primary school teacher > was to see that the child's ability to L express himself in speech, in writing, ! and also in song should not bo J . neglected. This did not involve a long *• grind of study ot theoretical English or formal grammar, but he did fear » that in some districts insufficient atten--1 tion had been paid to the theoretical * study of English in its bearing on composition. In other ' districts sufficient had boon done in this regard. Tho sylj ! labus was no doubt at fault in this ' omission to define a little more exact- ' ly just how much theoretical study of ' language ought to bo followed in the primary schools. This point would have ' to be examined in futuro, with tho ob- ■ ject of effecting some improvement in 1 tho English course in the schools. (Ap--3 plauso.) He did not agree with the criticisms of tho primary school work, especially 3 in English, which had on occasion come 5 from the secondary schools. It seemed ■ to him that tho secondary school teacb--5 ers were apt to expect from pupils 5 coming from tho public schools far too ' great a knowledge of grammar, a greater knowledge than thoy could 1 properly expect. ■ Divided Control. The problem of the secondary school , was by far the greatest in sight. In his opinion it could not be solved com- ! plotely until there was some unity of s control, and this was a very big ques- ". tion. There ought to be unity of conf,, trol of secondary and primary educa- . tion, and unity of control of tho difl'ero ent branches of secondary education, e He did not thinb the _ country could much longer acquiesce in one form of f control for secondary or high schools, j and another form of control for teche nical schools. There must be a mean sure of unification of control if neede less expenditure and costly overlapping ■ . were to be prevented. He was not r prepared to say, however, whether he J would feel competent to make recommendations to the -Minister embodying I- these , reforms, or whether, if he made g them, the Minister or Parliament would i- bo ready at once to accept them. From School to University. •t He believed also that some amenflt mont in the method of control of University colleges would be for good. One of the essential things most desired now was that the University should, in considering what should con- ~ stitute qualification for entrance to its colleges, have regard more to the courses of study in the secondary i schools than to its own examinations. Wo had got rid of the examinations in t> " primary schools, hut tho secondary l ? school curriculum was still planned in l * view of examinations to come. The T ~ aim of education policy, he thought. If should be to reduce examinations still re further, and one way in which this Pβ coukl bo secured would be the acie ceptance by tho University of courses is of study efficiently taught and diliD gontly pursued, as qualification for enD > tranco into TJniyersity colleges. External examinations wero nothing but - an evil in the secondary schools. To get rid of them would -require a system of effective inspection _ of secondary schools, which would involve the employment of a. number of men of high merit. This would of (I course, tho expenditure of a considernr able sum of money, ks n. Training of Teachers. Last of all, Dr. Anderson had^ something to say about the trainmg of teachers. He expressed a doubt that tho untrained teacher was not fit always to exercise the selective powers bestowed upon him under tho 1904 syllabus. For tho benefit of the untrained teacher it might bo wise to make somo parts of the syllabus more

lefinito. Tho setting up of observa- tra ional schools with good and well-paid us< taffs in certain \districts would have lif( i. very great effect in helping in tho by raining of untrained teachers. This ge chemo the Department had not for- clu ;otten, but it\could not be carried out of loiv, because it was not at_ present wa rossiblc to embark upon anything cost- coi ng any considerable amount of money, co: Vlueb. might he done in readjusting the m < ,vork of inspectors, to enable them to 10 moro to help the untrained or par- s0 ;ially trained teachers in the smaller schools. Another essential was that ihcre should be better provision for the j n jaining of secondary school teachers. o:t [t was especially necessary that theso c j. should ho employed as instructors of ; n the lower forms in secondary schools. a t not inexperienced young graduates, but cu teachers with real experience of primiry school work. •rr Too Much Uniformity? Tho Hon. J. G. "W\ Aitken, chair- rs man of tho "Wellington Education la Board, offered tho delegates, on behalf a 1 of the board, a very hearty..welcome p] to the city. He deprecated the ten- K dency which ho thought he had observed iu Dr. Anderson's speech to at- f tempt in our educational system to $ model every piece of clay in exactly w the same way—to strip'our education p of any originality which might be in- 0 ] traduced into it by the teacher accord- j ing- to tho capacities of tho pupil. He t disapproved of tho idea of tying ers down closely to a syllabus, and he hoped the _Uepartment would not go too far in tine direction. Dr.' Anderson disclaimed any inten-. tion on the part of the Department n to tighten tho bonds put upon teachers by programmes of instruction or etmdy. ? Ho had no desire to seo every school working on exactly the same lines, v Bather ho would like to see every school develop its separate individu- n On the motion' of Mr. I. J. Rowley * (Gisborne) a vote of thanks was accorded to the three gentlemen who had addressed the meeting, and the Mayor, responding, invited the visitors to -, make a tour of the City in ah observation car as, gueste of the municipality. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. , DENOMINATIONAL SCHOOLS. [ Tho president opened the business of ] tho conference with an address to the 3 members on general educational topics. * The first topic of interest on which ie touched was the demand for aid ' for denominational schools made by the Catholic Federation. "During tho year," he said, "an attack, or ratheran attempt at attack, has been made on our national system by the Catholic federation. Members have read how a deputation from that body waited on the Minister with certain proposals ( which, if granted, would have gone far towards disintegrating the present i order of things. But we wore all no doubt highly pleased to seo by the j Minister's reply that tho present Gov- 1 ornmont wore' determined to stand by , the present systoni, and allow no infrac- , tiou of its three great principles—free, secular, and compulsory. The matter has been fully reported and commented on in the 'journal,' and it only remains for me to urge upon members to insist, in season aud out of season, on tho maintenance of our presont system. More lecontiy in Christchureh tho subject was reviewed, and the Catholic federation expressed their determination to continue the agitation." Admission to Secondary Schools.*^ He spoke also of the new regulations regarding proficiency and. competency certificates. "In October were gazetted new regulations relating to proficiency and competency certificates," ho said, "the purpose of theso being to stiffen up the requirements for these certificates. Very little objection can be taken to that, but it seems very unfair that new regulations should bo sprung on teachers and pupils so late in the year, and after a great number of the schools had been examined. The proficiency certificate will be moro difficult to procure, and so will the competency certificate. In the past this latter certificate has been held to be valueless, and some have gono so far as to state that' the certificate of compotency was a mark of failuro, arid almost of incompetency. It is well known that in some branches of tho public service, in some- departments of tho railway service, in somo. mercantile houses, and : even in cases where girls seek to becomo nurses in our publio hospitals, tho proficiency certificate is tho first and last requirement. The holder of a competency certificate has no chance for these positions. If the purpose of stiffening up the proficiency examination is to limit the number of pupils entering the secondary schools, will it not also limit the number entering tho District High Schools, and in some cases jeopardise their very existence as District High Schools? It should also be borne in mind that the capacities of our pupils are limited, and that the stiffening up process may result in lowering real educational work, and in re-introducinp: that system of cram which we had fondly hoped had been m-ried in oblivion. His last remarks had to dp with the pupil teacher system, which he roundly condemned. Away With the Boards. The first motion to come before the meeting was a remit from Wellington Branch, adjourned from last annual meeting: "That the institute regrets Parliament's action in establishing nine education districts, thus minimisL i ins the possibilities of reform in our ducation system. The institute stronglv urces the Government to abolish the : present education districts, and place . the control of education under a Isa- - tional Board of Education. An amendment was moved by Auck' t land delegates: "That the time is not yet rip* for the total abolition of .eduI cata boards but this mebtuta » . rf r opinion.that the number of education s districts should be reduced to four or 1 fi, Th'e discussion that took place on the motion and the amendment was spirited, intelligent, and interesting The amendment was supported by the f Auckland, Canterbury, and utago dele- * cates en bloc. Tho preponderance of ' opinion seemed to be that by and by ; the boards would go, and that a cen- * tral national control mustm tho end I be established. Indeed, it was sug- * gested that this was foreshadowed in r Dr. Anderson's address. 7 Tho amendment was defeated by J8 ' votes to 24, and the motion was carJ ried' on the voices. 1 After Leaving School. °. Miss N. E. Coad, M.A., was entrust--11 ed with tho following remit from Wcls lington:—"That as some system ot !- compulsory education for children who s leave school at tho ago oi fourteen !- years is essential to national efficiency, - the Minister of Education bo asked to :- inaugurate such a scheme as soon as t possible." Miss Coad advocated, in o a remarkably capable speech, a system :- of continuation classes for children who I- have gone into employment, these e classes lo occupy, say, ten hours per if week. She urged that the co-opora-if tion of employers ought to be sought, •- and ought to-be given, and that tho employers might, with pressure perhaps, agr?o to givo the boys and girls in their employ leavo from work to »- attend those classes. Miss Coad threw if out suggestions for vocational training it of such scliblars, and for other train- -- ing for hoys and girls not in need of ■s vocational training. For hoys she 1- would suggest a coursfc of military i- training, and for girls a course of doo mestio training—those as essentials, ■o Other ideas sho propounded were for

•aining of children to make the best so of their leisure in youth and adult fc, hy inculcating taste for reading, Y encouraging facility in speech and encral alertness tlirpugh discussion ] übs or circles, and by the fostering E athletic clubs of various kinds. Lt as admitted that tho scheme would isfc money, but she urged that tho osfc would not be beyond tlic country s leans. n Mr. H. P. Andrew, of Auckland, ounded a iioto of warning. He saia hat thoy bad bad some experience of hose compulsory continuation classes ii Auckland, and as tho result of that -cperienco ho would urge that tho ~ lasses should be lield in daylight, as n TJ.S.A. and in Germany. Classen held ■t night wore likely to prove more a " iU-rse than a blessing. . t , The remit was carried on the voices. The following remit came from >' lawko's Bay: "That the compulsory » igo for attendance at day schools be •aißcd from 14 ycaTS to 15 years, the last two years of this time to be spent •> it a secondary or vocational school, provided that tho pupil can pass an jducational test equal to Standard VI \t the age of 13 years or earlier. — rhere was fairly strong opposition to this motion on tho ground that it would place too heavy burdens on poor parents, and there were sundy other abjections; on less important grounds.— Hio motion was lost. Other Proposals. Remits from Wellington and Horowhenua protesting against the Education. Department's action, as a measure of war-time economy, in reducing the minimum amount of floor space per pupil from 12 Bquare feet to 10. square feet were agreed to on the voices. Another remit from North Canterbury was agreed to in this slightly ame-nded form -.-"That the - Department be asked to establish consolidated schools in suitable places, with a view to demonstrating their efficiency and economical working." It was decided that a code of instructions bo issued to Inspectors from the Department as to the interpretation of the syllabus. . .., The Otago Institute sent forward, the following • remit, which was "That the executive of the. secure all available information on the question of sick leave, and approach the Minister of Education with the object of securing uniform regulations for teachers throughout the Dommon.' The conference adjourned to meet again this morning.