The Dominion MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1926. A “COLLEGE” EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 55, 29 November 1926, Page 8

The Dominion MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1926. A “COLLEGE” EDUCATION

In the opinion of the Minister of Education (the Hon. R. A. Wright), there are grounds for a change of policy in regard to free secondary education. Replying to a deputation on Friday last the Minister declared that there’ should be some guarantee that pupils who enrol at secondary schools would stay there for at least two years. Educationists will probably agree with Mr. Wright that some guarantee is necessary, but few will agree that two years is sufficient. The secondary school, under the present system, is the connectinglink between the primary school and the university. To qualify for entrance to the university a matriculation pass is necessary. It has been laid down that to get the full benefit of the matriculation course, and so be well prepared for the more severe intellectual strain of university work, four years at the secondary school is desirable. Some pupils take the matriculation pass in three years. Many more who try to do so, fail. The real weakness of the secondary school system as at present conducted is that pupils are allowed to enter upon grammar school courses, who on intellectual grounds ought not to be admitted at all. After some months at school they see the hopeless mess of their course, and leave. It has often been contended that many pupils who go in for a grammar school course would have been better to have gone to a technical school. The Minister remarked, in the course of his reply to the deputation, that he supposed the object of some of these pupils in attending the secondary schools for some months was to be able to say that they had “been to college.” There has arisen in the development of our secondary school policy rather an unfortunate confusion of terms, a confusion which has had a good deal to do with the rush of children to the grammar schools. Secondary, education, strictly speaking, means the next stage to the primary. It may mean either grammar school of technical school. To refer to secondary education as a “high school” course, and in the next breath to call the grammar schools “high schools” is by implication to degrade in a subtle social sense the technical school. We shall never be able to do justice to the technical schools until we get rid of the popular confusion created by this casual terminology, and place these schools in their right perspective and dignity. What is really required is a clearing-house between the primary and secondary school stage which will determine the fitness of pupils for either grammar school or technical school higher education. The junior high school —note again the carelessness of the terminology—was supposed to perform that very useful and highly necessary function. Unfortunatejy, a period of penury seems to have descended upon the Government’s activities in various directions, and amongst others the development of the junior high school system has been checked practically at the outset. The present financial stringency, however, is only temporary, and when better times arrive it is to be hoped that progress in the improvement of the secondary school system will be resumed. Some educationists have preferred to designate the junior high school the “intermediate school.” Others, the “senior primary” department. In view of the existing confusion of mind on the matter more precise definitions would seem to be desirable for all innovations introduced as the result of experience and progressive thinking. The old seventh standard of the primary schools performed in its way much the same function as the so-called “junior high school,” although it was a less elaborate course, and made no attempt to make special distinctions between one kind of scholastic ability and another. With certain improvements dictated by modern opinion, there is some ground for supporting the view that it should not be restored.

The Minister is perfectly sound in his condemnation of the present working of the system. Presumably he is more concerned about increasing the efficiency of the system than reducing the present cost. One cannot, at this time of day, deny secondary education to the children merely on the score of expense, but it can certainly be insisted that only those who are able to profit by it should be allowed to take it up.