OVERLOADED SCHOOL SYLLABUS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2098, 5 June 1907, Page 1

OVERLOADED SCHOOL SYLLABUS.

INTERESTING DISCUSSION,

The overloading of the syllabus was discussed at the last meeting of the

■ 4 Auckland Education Board. Mr. A. It. Harris, who introduced tho subject, said that tho regulation requiring pupils to commit 1000 lines of poetry to memory- for the year required amendment, tjie ; ,amount boing excessive. It was generally contended that the syllabus Was already crammed. When a pupil could scarcely give an answer to such a question as “Where is Canterbury?” it was unwise to teach so much poetry

as was proposed. Mr. C. J. Parr said that when tho consensus of opinion among teachers and educational exports that the syllabus was altogether overloaded, was too ambitious in its scope, and exacted too much from primary school children, tho Board should represent to tho proper authorities that tho time had arrived when a revision of

the syllabus was necessary. Hoad teachers of largo schools were of opinion that primary education in our schools was less satisfactory than it should be, because of tho fact that an attempt was mado to cover too much .ground. All teachers would support him in the assertion that instruction generally was interfered

with by tho scopo of tho syllabus. Beside the syllabus being overloaded with ordinary subjects, half-a-day a week was being -devoted to manual

an dtcchnical instruction, and ho was not certain that tho Board and tho State has not mado a mistake with the syllabus. The question would be closely debated whether it was desirable to introduce technical education into the primary schools. No such system was followed in Germany or

America. In tho former country only pupils who had had seven years of primary education were allowed to take technical education. Children must be thoroughly grounded in primary subjects before commencing on the elements of technical subjects, educationists being agreed on this proposition the world over. The continuation class system, in which manual subjects were taught, had been adopted in Germany, England, and America, and sentiment was growing in this direction in this colony. The Dunedin Technical School managers had affirmed that a mistake had been made in having manual instruction incorporated in the primary course. The one interfered with the other,

the syllabus being overloaded without technical instruction. The Minister and Department should consider whether they had not gone' on wrong lines in' introducing any instruction other than primary in the primary course.

The chairman took the vie.v t! at

they were working with a proper and scientific syllabus, but there must i ot

be too rigid an interpretation. Tea shore were not bound to take all t h-; subjects, but could mako a selection of such as best suited tho require

meets of each particular district. The syllabus had purposely been made elastic, and teachers had received instructions to act accordingly. He remarked that only pupils who had passed the fourth standard and were 12 years of age attended the manual

instruction classes. Unless more evidence were forthcoming that tho syllabus was overloaded the Board could not take action. Ho. knew that teachers complained of the time devoted to manual training, but at the same time were always ready to take a holiday when opportunity offered.

Mr. Parr declared that tho chair-

man bad all modern educationists against him. No time should bo taken from tlie primary course. What did a boy know on passing the fourth standard? He then had the two most important classes ahoad. The syllabus should he investigated. When it excluded such useful subjects as history and geography to give place to new-fangled notions which did no good, it' was time to put revision in hand.

The chairman pointed out that in

half-time schools, which had only three days'" instruction per week, ere ditablc work was done, and that lessened the force of the argument that the deprivation of half a day a week prejudicially affected scholars at fulltime schools.

Mr. F. W. Lang said that on the face of it it was absurd to think that children learned more in,three days than in five: If that were so they should turn all tho schools into hullrime schools.

Air. C. T. Barriball pointed out that at half-time schools teachers devoted more time to each of the few scholars attending than could be given by tlie staffs in schools with a roll number running into hundreds. Afr. J. Stallworthy said that the present syllabus was an improvement on tlie former. There was an outcryill tlie country districts for technical education in agriculture,' and there would bo no objection to that course being introduced in country schools. The chairman said that teachers were allowed to arrange lessons in accordance with tlie requirements of tho district.

The discussion then adjourned