THE GOVERNOR ON OUR SCHEME OF EDUCATION.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1932, 4 May 1880, Page 2

THE GOVERNOR ON OUR SCHEME OF EDUCATION.

[By Telesbaph.] WELLINGTON, May 4. In his speech at the opening of the Normal School, Governor Eobinson said he had carefully observed the working of the educations! scheme here and in other countries. He thought the New Zealand scheme admirable in genera! design, but defective in one or two details. It was, be believed, the most comprehensive and ambitions scheme for free, public instruction yet adopted by any country in the world, hut he expressed a doubt whether the programme of primary instruction was not too varied and likely to prove too costly, and whether, considering the very early age at which the majority of the children were removed from school, the cramming them with instruction in such a variety of subjects will not tend to lower their standard of efficiency in reading, writing, and arithmetic, objects of primary importance, and thus substitute a smattering of many subjects for thoroughness in a few, and whether, too, the attempt to provide a machinery for supplying the whole youthful population of the colony with free education of a varied and advanced character, embraced in six standards, will not entail upon the country an expenditure more heavy than can be borne. He expressed great regret that all local sources of revenue, such as school rates and fees, were done away with. He thought attendance should be compulsory, and also a small fee be charged. He thought that the extent to which mors! training is ignored in the national plan of educacation is to be regretted. The compromise regarding BLle reading adopted at home and New South Wales, ha thought a wise one, and spoke strongly on this point, quoting a number of authorities as to religion being the best foundation of morality. He concluded by saying—" I have thus stated to you frankly what appsar to me to be the weak points in yonr educational plan—namely, that it will entail a larger expenditure than the general revenue can well defray without assistance from local sources; and that the course of instruction prescribed fail* to inculcate sufficiently the obserranca of those moral obligations which are essential to the welfare of society. [Loud applause ] With these exceptions I think that your scheme of national education is one of which any country might well feel proud, and that it is being a 1 ministered with an earnestness and an ability which is deserving of all praise.”