EDUCATION OF GIRLS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2987, 26 January 1917, Page 6

EDUCATION OF GIRLS

Sir, —In reply to the ■ letter which appeared in The Dominion of Monday, January 22, 1 should like to make tho' following remarks: —The letter referred to was written by me after a careful perusal of the complete report, and it was not based, as the writer suggests, on dislocated phrases, but on the fundamental principles underlying the report. These were:—

1. More differentiation for girls at and after the age of ten. 2. Almost complete segregation after the age of ten right through the school course xijj to the university stage. Under the scheme put forward, domestic science subjects must bo increased or at least made more prominent at and after the age of ten. This surely means that either something must he eliminated from tho general course or something must bo added to it. Eliminate at the age of ten, and you spoil tho girls' chances of a- good general education just when is the one most suited to tlie girls' stages of development; add the domestic course to the general one, and there will be a danger of overworking tljp girl. Specialisation, has not been advocated for boys at an early age; why then for, girls? In the case of boys, it is recognised that a good general education is necessary in order to secure good results in special work later on. Does not the same principle hold for girls? The scheme put forward in the report, to say the least of it, imperils girls' chances of a good general education. How, under such a scheme; can "girls be. given more scope" ? How can such a scheme produce women fit to be inspectors or fit to take any responsible position if their education is to be restricted practically from the foundation stage?

Again, what is meant by character training? The report deals in too many generalities and abstractions, and nobody can .tell what ■ they will -mean when reduced to the concrete as subjects in a school curriculum. What is wanted is a clear, definite statement as to what subjects are to be taught at the different stages.of a girl's school career, how much time is to be devoted to therii, and how they are to be treated.

Certainly, as most people will .agree, some training in domestic' science should be gi'/en to all girls, but it should be given at the right time and place, and it should not begin too early in tho school course. If a good and thoroughly, general education is given in the primary schools, the special work, domestic and otherwise, can be safely left to the secondary school and the continuation class, where'it will be more appreciated and more easily, learnt.—l am, etc., ' . . . ' PARENT.