SCHOOL BOOKS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3183, 6 September 1917, Page 6

SCHOOL BOOKS

SOME QUESTIONS DISCUSSED DEMAND FOR FREE HOOF 3 AND UNIFORM SERIES A reference to tho problems of the supply of school books is made in tho education renqrt preeented to the Legislative Council yesterday. "From 1908 to 1912," the report stales, "a, system of supplying all class books to pupils free of cost was in vogue. This was discontinued on the recommendation of the Education Commission of 1912, because it was found that most parents preferred their children. U> have their own hooks to take home for preparation and for their own use generally. This duplication led to much waste. "In lieu of the system of entirely free; book's the present system of providing grants for n partial free supply was therefore instituted, and the range of selection in the books the pupils were* required to buy was restricted and confine?, to books already approved for use. Trie revision of the list of books approved for use with a view to still further limiting the choice was under lonsideration when war broke out, but such a revision would itself cause changes, and as a result—in some districts, at any rah. —the books used by the older mem* bers of the family could not be used by the younger members, as they leached' the higher classes. Action was postponed therefore, as it was felt that any change in school' books would not be advisable at a time when economy was imperative in many homes. Indeed, since the outbreak -of war no changes in the books the pupils are required to bny have been approved, and any list thai; may be approved in the future, as curtailed as would be justifiable, will remain practically unchanged for a period: of possibly five'years. "If has been represented to tOo Department that parents are put to unnecessary expense owing to the frequency with which cla«s books are , changed. If these complaints are well founded the local school authorities are at fault. The position is that only 6-och. books as ore approved by the Minister can be used in schools, and of tho books so approved the board mar direct which, ar? to he used in the school under ite jurisdiction. From what has been already said, it will be seen €unt the Department has consistently Tefused tosanction cKanges in school books that can be avoided, particularly at the present juncture. If, therefore, pupils, have within the last two or three years been required to purchase unauthorised boolcs, the remedy lies in the hands of Hie education boards. .Moreover, the report form to be used by the inspector , in connection with each school provides' for the inclusion of a list of the school boolcs used, and the board has thus beI fore it all the information necessary to J eriafile it to exercise due and proper I control. "The more restricted the list of school lraoks the "more do we approach a system of uniform boote, which has beeir so often advocated, mainly on the ground' that parents who move from_ one district: to another have been required to purchase more than one set of boolcs in a, year. This objection has. however, been inet by the provision for free class books nlrendr referred tn. With T»"nrd! to the general question of the desirability of uniformity in daKs books, it may Tw said that in such subjects as arithmetic, geography, and history there seems to beno ?ood'■ reason why the clnss books >=hoiild not be uniform throughout New Zealand, whereas in boolrs of a literary diameter some freedom cf choice is desirable in the interests of good education. Uniformity may. fionsequently be carried so far as tn react to the detriment, of the educational welfare of the children whose interests can be best served b? avoiding, on the one hand, a too rigid'uniformity, and, on the other, an undue variety and frequent change in school books. "The ciiiestinn of the State publication, of school boolcs has received consideration, and some of the difficulties, that aro met with might be solved if this wero undertaken in certain subjects in .whicll the programme is closely defined by ?ho svlluims. -PoßsiWy arillnnetic presoms the lenst difliculfcr, and a beginnrigmi<rht be made here and the work extended' as circumstances dictate. On the other hand, it is very doubtful if economy and efficiency would be served by negltfitii'c to make we erf the advantages offered by the production of educational works'on a large scale in older countries, with all the constantly improving processes that are stimulated by competition. The present is however, an inoiinortune time to undertake jho publication of anv school boolcs. owing to the shortage of paper, the prevailing cast of printin?. and the zeneral /lisw-ran'einent nf publishing coWUtIOJS due to the war."