PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 September 1926, Page 4

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

DEFECTS IN SYLLABUS

WELLINGTON. Sept. 6,

For many reasons revision of the syllabus nppcvtrs desirable, states Air T. IL Strong, Chief Inspector of Primary Schools, in bis annual report on primary education, presented to the House this afternoon. The svihihus e.uld be enriched not only in the direction of utilising more freely training in handwork, but also bv giving a stronger bias towards the study of English literature and towards the more practical side of elementary mathematic,'., "Facility in English composition, both oral and written,” he says, “has greatly increased in recent years, and teaibers now secure as well-written composition in Standard IL its was in former years thought possible only in Standard IV. There was a time when the syllabus specified six sentences in c.ompcGiticn for a Standard TIT. lesson. Our pupils ill the higher infant’s classes far exceed this allowance. At the same time there is no doubt that too pinch attention is being paid to ihe

mechanical aspects of the teaching of English. Grammar has far more Than it rightful share of attention and much time is still being wusted on the spelling of difficult words that are not in the least likely to enter the child’s vocabulary for several years. A!ore attention should be paid to good English literature in order that pupils before they leave the primary schools may be imbued with ah' appreciation of and a love for some of the finer work of our best- authors. “Time for the broader study of English can also be,secured by reducing the amount of time usually allotted to arithmetic. This subject Ims been overdone in the past and is still being overdone. It is not too much to say that with many teachers it- is the principal subject in the curriculum. AVe have (already jettisoned a great deal of useless work in arithmetic, and I think there is still some lumber to be got rid of. The arithmetic taught in the primary schools is not a disciplinarv subject, nor does it enable the child to develop a facility for overcoming the financial difficulties he may meet with in after life. Its content should, however, be closely related to life needs. Real life situations provide abundant material for even the most ardent arithmetician, and I think that in this direction the scope of the subject should be widened to included those simple, practical problems in geometry that most men and women meet with in somo shape or form.

“If the primary syllabus were modified l Ir.ig these lines of utilising more fully the handwork and manual training subjects in the direction of making the arithmetic more practical and more suited to everyday needs, and in the direction of widening the study of English. I think the primary schools would themselves advance along the v.\v iov.tirds gaining some of the advantages which the junior high school is intended to provide.”