SCHOOL AGE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 8, 4 October 1917, Page 3

SCHOOL AGE

AND BAELT SPECIALISATION

The proposals of the Wellington Edu. cation Board regarding early specialisation do not find favour, with the, Minister of Education. Mr. J. C. Thomson asked tho Minister in the House of Representatives whether lio is prepared to accept tho recommen. dation of the Wellington Board of Education, which recommended, with a view to early specialisation, tho reduction of tho leaving age of the primary schools from fourteen years to twelve,. tive of the certificate gained. Tho Hon. J. A. Hanali. replied:—"l may state that I am not' prepared to accept the recommendation of ihe "Wellington Education Board, which advocates the shortening of tho primary school period in order to provide for earlier specialisation. It is often stated that this policy has been adopted iii New South Wales, Scotland, and Germany, but investigation 6hows that it lias been found impossible to realise this aim. As a matter of fact, tho leaving age of primary school pupils tfe n.uch tho same in theso countries as in New Zealand. It should be remembered that most of the brighter pupils in our primary schools pass the sixth standard at the age of • thirteen." With regard to early specialisation, I may point out that the Committee of Investigation, recently eet up by the Minister o£ Education 'in. England, definitely opposes the policy of early specialisation, and their objection is based on inquiries made of a large number of Jeading educational authorities in England. The fame committee reports that the age of entrance to. junior vocational schools should be fourteen years. Most educationists are agreed that a thorough grounding in the complete primary school course is tho best preparation tliat can be given for further education, and that any attempt to build specialised vocational training on & shortened'primary, ochool. course is to build on a foundation of sand."