HUTT VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 9, 24 July 1930, Page 5

HUTT VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Address by Mi^ W, : Nash, M.P.

on Education.

On Monday ovoning'Mf. Walter Nash M.P., delivered "a most interesting address to1 about 70 inepbers o^the Hutt Valley High iSchool Parents' Association, Capt. J. E. Middleton, R:N., pre-

siding.

The subject chosen by Mr. NasJx was aii-outline of some of-the. aspects of the repprtr of the Parliamentary Education Committee; which was appointed in November 1929.: ; ■'■ .■ ■<'•■..■

Most of the • recommendations followr ed the lines of'^..report prepared in J920 on the English system. -He hoped that after being sebmitted to the people some of them would be submitted to Parliament and.'-passed. intorlawi -He submitted ithat $he idear system of 1 eationy. would iregaird each child as a unit 1 and develpp;;,the latent forces within it, oach'cchild wouldl require 'different itrojitment and he,advocated that the wize of-the classes should be reduced.;

Mr.^Nash said that in 1917 he had thought.of the idea of establishing 16 training colleges, all' independent,^to train teachers, who would be available for any part of the Dominion and so introducing viiriou^ schools of t/lought. The aim of education was to develop th^e mind of the child to respond or react to the experiences it would .meet with in actual life: In conversation with an educationalist. that day, Mr. Nash said he had been told that the future would see the abolition of schools. This forecast was based on the assumption ihat ultimately so much: leisure would bo available to tie parents that they Avould; be able to edu-. feate their own ■ children^ The speaker said that in; the past the proficiency and matriculation examinations werethe be-all and end-all of education and he showed how tho report proposed to abolish thour and also scholarships, substituting -for the latter bursaries 'for tie children of very poor parents who showed promise of a con>tinu)ati6n to secondary or university educatioiii , Mr. Nash approved the recommenda-tion to- jaise the' compulsory school !age. from: .14 to 15 and also to close theprimarjr school period at -StcL XV, and the, age-at.' il plus, making the intermediate period between; 11 and, 15 an exploratory one, in which the child's special aptitudes would be revealecl.'Whilst he had never favbttrfe'd' 6entraiis'a:ti6il,. fkc could not, see how it could be entirely obviatedas it meant considerable . economy, : in

staifs and mpney. .. He thought -t-ho tendency was towards., the.. abolition of sole teacher. schools. A'great amount of--space iri the report was devoted to the question of agiicultural bias in ■education, in this country, and whilst all -w;erje. agreed of the wisdom no; one seemed to know how it was to be. .put into -effect. ... ' .'r -< y-': '^'^ . '•'.■•• --' ■"

In place of the present .nine, .ediixsation boards and 45 posfrpriinary .Sjchool boards, it was proposed, tq 18 ; 'boards cdiitroiling all the(; scliools. -in-,. .jT«w* -Zealand and each, pirimary and secondary; sc&ool would have a school eou'nclll, present system of dual Control by the education . dejpa.rtment and'the education txpttrd, adversely" criticised by the : Bp;oalter, Who 'quoted, figures, to show that T'tiie -cost, injfchis country per child mubli greater than- 4t ijwas in A^trafia. ''''' ]■ : ,j In concluding his address Mr. Naeh ;. gaid that if - after" rejection parenls • qotisideVed that iheir' "children-1. wQ;uld receive"1 a 4better eaucatidii: th£»n. tiiey ]

f W ere now getting, or. flibt^in: .a; T3etter- . chance in life, if ~the, rpc<OTi»eifdafi^.s y -.; 'of'Hiie (3dnuiiiitee\,.w6re out, it j yra.B -iheiV flu^y" to .preßs for tHe recpm- I 3^es<&ti6^nslt6_*.b&~.m^ contrary" "t^ey" considered tbe^ •-■w.ear / ft''''

.against the interest of] the children,then?. it : was; their. diltylS'to". ixpposo tjio Ifceport. : v v } "v >-,\:V, 7;'■;*%■■* ' j On the motion of MrV>;Basil-Gqopor. a hearty vo^e'of' thanks to Mr, Ka^h was carried: b^y^acc^niAtdon; \ Supper was served by the ladies.