SECONDARY EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 141, 10 March 1919, Page 5

SECONDARY EDUCATION

ITS POPULAR EVOLUTION. Speaking at Christclnirch. Inst week th» Hon. J. A. Hanan (Minister of Education) referred to tbe great changes that had taken place in ,thc direction of making secondary education fi'6e. In his da,', said the Minister, the great majority of the high school pupils were the sons or daughters of ' wealthy parents. Unless he could win a scholarship, the poor bov was denied the" benefits or higher education. To-day probably 90 per cent, of the children, attending the secondary schools of tho Dominion wers son? and daughters of the working classes. The extent to which'the liberal facilities now provided were availed of would be apparent from the following figures:—

" © o <y O «-ii At £a? School.. % f§ sfo £5 Southland G.H.S. .... 247 8 89 "lM| Southland B.ILS. ... 230 11 77 139 : . Otago G.H.S. : 2(i5 13 125 .127, Otago B.H.S. -197 28 146 323 In the ense of the paying pupils, lied believed that inquiry would show that, the. majority were the children of paw cuts who desired their eons and dauglw ters to undergo their primary course ati such schools. In reply to the interjec-j lion "Why should any have to pay? .J the Minister said:' "The reason i$ this: I believe in higher edue.v tiou for those who are likely to profic by it. I believe in giving the boy oi ability and industry evary chance to develop tho highest and best that is ia him. But I believe that there are cer' tain types of brain, certain special aptiJ tudea. I don't believe in giving the same food to all kinds of animals. Some would profit by it, and some would not. What I want to do in this country is to givo a chance to tho 'boy whose ability iff above tho average; but we know Oiat every hoy is not above the average." Proceeding, Mr. Hanan explained that that had teen one of his reasons for ferentiating between the standards of examination for freo places in high and in' technical schools, by placing a sliftop. enlranco test oil the high school_ so that it would recoive only those pupils most likely to benefit by what it could give theni. For the boy of a, slightly lower standard, the technical school' catered well. Then there wero increased opportunities for those poorer students who wished to go still higher. In 1897 there had been only between M and 50 free students attending their university and trainiii" colleges. In 1917 thero had' been 1000. That was illustrative of the liberal facilities which this country pro< vided for tho higher education of her. son? and daughters. Some of the pre-sent-day ornaments in all of tho profess pions were tho sons and daughters of working people. All honour to them.