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EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS

NEW ZEALANDERS’ INVESTIGATIONS. LONDON, September 5. Two members of the staff of the Christchurch Techni.al College have completed a tour lasting six months, during which they have been investi-gating-certain educational subjects for the benefit of themselves, and ultimately for the- advancement of technical education in New Zealand. Air A. 3V. G. Lipscomb (Instructor of Agriculture) has made a study of agricultural education and methods of farming, and Mr L. R. R. Denny (Lecturer in English and history) has been investigating the problems of the postprimary stage of" education. Apart from this research work they both attended n conference of students from Pncifio; countries. The conference was held at Nyon, near Geneva, and was organised by the International Student Service ' headquarters. About sixty delegates were present representing twenty-three countries, including Japan, China, Australia, Latin America, and other countries which have colonies or dependencies in the Pacific,

One important subject discussed and hr on*jit- to a head was the exchange of students of. Aostraiifi jind New Zealand with students of .Germany. s ince the arrangement was made the Otftgo University has notified its intention pt providing a scholarship for one German student and of sending one of its students to a German university. Delegates described student life in then respective countries, aucl prominent members of the League Secretariat lectured on international subjects. The principle guiding the conference was that since the war the student type has largely broken down the isolation that existed previously, and now are ■developing'international ideals- This is instanced by the fact that many universities now have Chairs of International Affairs. : The whole of. a large hotel was takep up by the delegates, and the lounge was used for the conference. The afternoons were set apart for disotif. sions and walks, and journeys on the lake. The Mayor of Nypn entertained the whole party one afternoon, and arranged drive along the shores of the lake.-

WARNING TO NEW ZEALAND. ' " : . t , Mr Lipscomb and Mr Denny yisited France, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, Belgium and Denmark, and during the past few months they have toured through Great Britain. Mr Upseomb visited school and farm institutes, and in many cases came in contapt with tlie farmer : himself, and obtained his point of view. »‘The pgriculituiinli induptrjy in France,” said Mr Lipscomb, “seems to'have recovered mofe ; quickly than in Other countries, The poultry Has practically no unemployment, a T.hia.is attributed to four principal causes: the almost universal practice of birthcontrol, the losses of men in the war, the stabilisation of the franc, and the vast amount of reconstruction that has been put in hand since the war. “Denmark is suffering from all world-wide depression least of all It benefited by the distress of its neighbours during the war, and agriculture has never locked back, However, Germany has recently adopted a policy of protection which has made it more difficult for Danish products to be exported to that country. The result is that Denmark is now looking to Britain still more as a market, and we jn New Zealand must- expect keener compete tion when exporting our dairy produce. “Germany,” continued Mr* Lipscomb, “is in a fairly bad way. Everything is in a state of upheaval There are rtea/ly three millions unemployed; all of whom receive the dole, CLOSE SETTLEMENT. Prior to the war the agricultural holdings in Germany were in most cases possessed by rich landlords who employed communities of farm labourers. After Germany’s defeat the labourers lost their positions, The Reich had tackled the question, and now two-thirds of the farms of Germany are worked by small farmers who are becoming the owners. Purchase has been arranged by the State, '•epayment being made over a period of Gxtv years.”

In England Mr Lipscomb has visited most of the farm institutes administered by the Counties. He attended the Agrieulural Education Association Conference at Harper Adams College. Newport, Salop, and he spoke upon agricultural conditions and education in New Zealand. He spent an instructive time at the Rowett Institute. Aberdeen, and at the Graibstone Experimental Area, which is' associated with the Aberdeen University. Some time was also spent at the Rothamsted Research Station. Mr Lipscomb returns by way of Su°z by the Moreton Ray on September 3rd. IMPRESSIONS OF EDUCATION. In, Great Britain Mr Denny has visited schools in and around London, and at Norwich, Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin. “The most interesting country educationally,” said Mr Denny, “is Germany. Since the revolution many reforms have been introduced, notably, in the direction of free-

ing the curriculum, and praetically doing away with the time-table. “A most interesting innovation is the dethroning of the headmaster and the delegation of powers to a faculty of teachers within tlie school. The teachers elect from among their number a consultative committee of management, aiul appoint one to act for a period (say, for two years as head. The routine is carried out by this teacher, but no step involving a change -of policy, ami nothing of importance, can be set in motion without discussion by and the consent of, his colleagues. Frequently this duty devolves by election upon a woman.” The school journey has also become compulsory in Germany, although teachers frequently prefer to eliminate it during the winter months and take a longer time away in the summer. Some teachers take their classes out for four days at a time, and parties stay at the Youth Movement hostels, where the charge is extraordinarily low. Pliysioial education has been called the doctor at the sick bed of Germany. Eveiywhere there is evidence of the movement towards fitness and saner methods of eating. If there is to he any check on this tendency,” said Mr Denny, “it may come from the universities and from some of the secondary schools who will probably complain that students are irt coming to them well qualified in classical subjects, and that German scholarship, traditionally so sound, may tliereb.v suffer. PROBLEM OF REORGANISATION.

“In England,” continued Mr Denny, “the best work undoubtedly is being done in the infant schools, but with the reorganisation that is in progress, one feels that the junior schools are coming into their own, and mere and more' it will be realised that specialisation is necessary at each of the stages of education, and that there is a fundamental difference in the requirements of teaching at the stage from 7 to 10 years and the requirements from 11 to 15.

“To the argument that the selection of pupils for secondary and central schools will have a detrimental effect upjjfn the remainder in tlie senior school the answer is that senior schools are really to be considered the most important; because they have by far the greater proportion of the children.

“The greatest problem is reorganisation is the right selection of pupils at the early age of eleven. This has 7 been faced in Germany along the lines of phvsicial tests as well as tests of scholastic attainments, and the estimates of teachers themselves. But the really satisfactory test is still to be devised, and the very difficult problem "of estimating special abilities point to the necessity for a master on the staff of every post-primary school in the capacity of specialist in vocational guidance.” Mr Denny will leave for home on September oh, and will travel by way of. Suez, Singapore, Batavia, Java, and Sydney,

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HOG19301022.2.7

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Hokitika Guardian, 22 October 1930, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,225

EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS Hokitika Guardian, 22 October 1930, Page 2

EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS Hokitika Guardian, 22 October 1930, Page 2

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