PROBLEMS OF EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 213, 28 May 1918, Page 2

PROBLEMS OF EDUCATION

ADDKESS BY MISS COAD. In the course of her presidential address last evening at the annual meeting w the Women Teachers' Association, Mips Und, M.A., spoko of the aims of the a* sociation. Women hud been accused of being incapable of corporate action, but that statement had yet to be- proved in connection with their association. The association listed for the purpose of upholding tho just claims of women, individually and collectively, and to consider matters dealing with the education « girls. They were a body formed for the purpose of giving expression to tho woman s point of view regarding education, and particularly those women teachers who bad not yet the courage to come before tho N.Z.E.I. and express ihoso views. The educational campaign with which they were associated was a war measure instituted by the N.Z.E.1., and a very iinportent war work indeed. The consequences of this world-wide war would by and by rest upon the shoulders of tho rising generation. They would have to' solve the tremendous problems of reconstruction, and because that was so the teachers felt that every effort should be inado to equip tho boys Rnd girls of today in a way that would fit them to soke these problems and to hold their own in the great competitive war that was surely following. There were people who were of tho opinion that no changes in the scheme <f 'education should be made now, that the time was inopportune. There rould not possibly Be a greater fallacy than that, and it was a fallacy that should be obvious to'any intelligent man or woman. Speaking of vocational training, Miss Coad held that the primary schools were in existence not for tho purpose of giving any vocational training, but for the purpose of providing tho foundation upon which the vocational training should follow. After a good general education had been secured, then the boy or girl might specialise after ho or she had mado their choice of a calling. The universities recognised the right of tho student to freedom as to the direction in which, ho or she should specialise, and that freedom should be recognised in other grades of education.

Mi6s Coad spoke against the scheme of forcing every girl to learn domestic science whether sho wished to or no. In tho secondary schools fully a quarter of the time was r.ivcn over to domestic science more time than wag given to any other subject. While believing that domestic science should bo taught, she did not believe that such a great amount of time should bo t,iven up to it, compulscrily. At the i inference of secondary school teachers held in Christichurch recently it was lecommondcd that, the choice of subjects should bo left to the teachers nctiiig in collaboration with the parents of tho pupils.