EDUCATION COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 224, 16 June 1920, Page 3

EDUCATION COUNCIL

SITTINGS COMMENCED

PROPOSALS TO DEVELOP

RESEARCH

The Council of Education met yesterday undor the presidency of the Director of Education (Dr. W. J. Anderson), pther members present were: Professor J.vM'Mill»n Brown, the .Hon. D. T. Flefmnir, Messrs, T. B. Strong, J. Oaughley. E. (1. Banks,. TV. M. Hamilton, J. E. Kirk, W. Endcy, T, IT. "Wells, J. Howell, Mipses Myers, Chaplin, and' Butler. The chairman formally welcomed Mr.. J. .H. Howell. Director of the Wellington Technical, College, who took his seat for the first timn

Considerable discussion centred around, the following motion by Professor Brown: "That the recommendations: of the coun-. oil on means of adapting tho .educational. system so as to innure the development of the resources 'of the Dominion be again brought before the counoil for t'discußsion and/'transmission to the authorities."

According to Mr., Howell; the N. 55. Institute was the proper body to undertake .such, proposals. •

Mr. J. B. Kirk comraentod/'that nothing vory. concrete had oome of 'the proposals made nearly four years ago. The Government should be impressed with the neees'sity'for action. The question was whether they had in Now Zealand the conveniences, the apparatus, the means,- and the teachers to carry out the work. He believed that, our own men Bhould be trained firsthand there were many gifted men in the Dominion.' Even to-day they should try to.. 'bring: out men of outstanding ability to advise as to the means of developing-- industry and resources, ff* believed men of sbicneo could start other industries to be plantedon our fertile soils. Men and women df> vision - would reduce the future within' 1 tho means of our possibilities at present; Hq would urge that', representatives of the'council Bhould' nersonallv; wait - on': the' Minister,' and urge ;'tbe. matter upon - him. - iThey should not .allow .tho matter to'be pigeonholed, and ithe.'dust to-accumulate/on-this record. .

. ..The motion was carried,, and it was .re solved to. ask the New Zealand Institute to co-operate with the council in its endeavour, to 'bring tho matter before' Cabinet: .;. . ■A, ; o Primary Schools. .y; . The: conference' affirmed that:.-, Effective stepa ' should be taken in every . school district, to■ encourago' emulation -among schools in various* school activities of a practical oharacter-(i) In the practical course of school gardenine and the utilisation of Bcliool plots: (ii) •in the plan-; tation of native trees and bushes: (iil) in the collection 1 and scientific arranccmnnt of. -the. rocks , and minerals in the neigh- 1 bourhood of the school; (iv) in the Collection and atrwiKemont' of herbaria -of: local, plants: (v) in the' application of and practical'.exercises, towardß the development of inventiveness among school children: (vi), in'the promotion of tidiness. and tasteful/arrangements in/: the, schoolhou6e, and 'grounds; (vii) in the promotion of school club". ■It was'also affirmed that it was desirable that none of' tho essential features of the "School Journal", should be 'sacrificed on the grounds of. economy.'. • Seoondary Schools. • :

Touching secondary schools the council reaffirmed the following resolutions:—l.' That'teachers in secondary sohools should receive training in a normal college. 2. That, whilst in the lower forma of■ secondary. schoolß there should be .given a course in the general elementary' idea, of science, in upper/ forms there should ,be an increasing amount of work in one or! : two' special sciences. 5. ; In all the scientific courses in secondary eohoola the attention'of the pupils should ib'e drawn to the practical application of . each' science, such a 6'. entomology,botany'j • and, animal ■'. physiology 'as-related to agriculture. :■*; In all the courses the attention of (no pupils should be directed .to ! ,books, and work that will stimulate the scientific imagination. 6..'1n lUpper. forms-problems that New Zealand has. to' face' scientifically should be' placed before the pupils in a simple and interesting form, with illustrations from the past history of science • showing, how' . similar difficult .problems: should be. solved. 6. That in all, boys secondary schools-'.the science should . include sufficient knowledge of oliemietry to enable pupils ..to; understand the - elementary... processes. of agriculture, and in . like manner, in girls' secondary schools, sufficient ohemistry. to enable., pu--pils ;to deal intelligently with,; home science. 7. Thai all the pupils' ip' technical schools and, classes who show-,pro-; mise of faculties and tastes specially suit-. Ed for research or'' practical' application of science to industry should be' granted free education iii technical departments of university colleges. , B. . That school clubs : for observation aud_ experiment, should -be I encouraged in the "secondary schools ;'of . the. country. 9. That ih order to-.'secure as far as possible tho best application of the, various abilities of pupils fibme. form of'vocational'guidance; should -be efoen. 10. That the libraries of secondary schools and university colleges should get and supply copies of suitable scientific periodic literature in foreign languages for use of pupils and students. 11. That in every secondary school, district high school, and . technical high school thero should be ade-' ciuatojlaboratory- accommodation, and this laboratory accommodation' should be available, especially -m couutry districts, for continuation cliißses. High School Boards. Another motion • adopted ran as follows: - That so far aa is practicable on all noardß of secondary Bchools • there 'should be.one or two representatives of science, one of iudustry, and one of commerce, to bp elected by the former pupils of .tho school, and that in -the case .of girls' sohools there should be not:fewer than two lady members, to' be: elected by tho former pupils of the school.". At this stage- the, council 'adjourned till to-day. when the Minister of Education (the Hon. 0. ,T. Parr) will be' present.