CENTRAL SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 224, 16 June 1920, Page 5

CENTRAL SCHOOLS

SUGGESTED FOR THE COUNTRY

; ACHIEVEMENTS IN OTHER LANDS Interesting sidelights on the achievements possible under a system of centralisation of schools in the rural districts were thrown by the Director of Education (Dr. W. J. Anderson) in the course of a general commentary on educational matters at yesterday's sitting' of the Council of Education. Ho emphasised that for post primary education tho scholars in tho country districts Drast be brought together in some centrnl institution. We were not any nearer to the ideni! of oentralised schools than we were a number of years ago. One difficulty in the way was the matter of the conveyance of children to centralised schools, and this unfortunately had been accentuated by the conditions that obtained after, the war. At the same time, despite this and other difficulties, he was convinced that they should consistently keep before their minds the question of having centralised schools cf superior character for intermediate and primary education "dotted all over the country." ' To aohieve this ideal! was not impossible. It had been realised all over America. In the State of Massachusetts, for instance, the single-room school had entirely disappeared. In another State the conditions were vory much (he same: some 5000 children _ were being daily conveyed to a oentralised eohoo!, and something like 700 smniU schools had been closed, and approximately from 350 to 400 vehicles Constantly employed ill conveying the children.

Social afftj Intellectual Life, Dr., Anderson declared that a school of that kind might be. made, not merely a oentre for day eohool instruction, but also a centre of intellectual and social life for the adult community in the immediate surroundings.- There might be evening lectures and something in the direction of the oulture of music and the aesthetic taste generally, tho same as obtained in the Canadian and United States schools. There was no Reed'in the cities of the Dominion to combine the primary and intermediate schools, the number of children being sufficient to justify separate institutions. Touching on another point, Dr. Anderson said tliat he did not think cny serious opposition could be offered to the centralisation of proftssional courses in one school, and in another school courses of the type dealt with in technical college©. Such instruction should 1)b given to children between the ages of 12 and 15, or 18 and 15 years. The course of instruction that they, should set tut ■to 'provide for all children, except the oies picked out for scholarships and the like, should be a continuation of the primary school courses on advanced lines; He hid in his mind the cultivation of literary habits, and composition; the development of arithmetic to elementary jncth&matics;'history and civics; and drawing whioK was no longer an ornamental feature of the school curriciilum. The course should also include something about science.