TEACHING OF HISTORY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4432, 26 June 1922, Page 2

TEACHING OF HISTORY.

WHERE PARENTS CAN OBJECT. The fact that parents may have their children exempted from instruction in certain aspects of! history under a conscience cilause in the Education Act was mentioned at the meeting of the Council of Educatpn at Wellington last week. Mr. R. McCallum, M.P., who raised the question, said that some parents might object to thei’ - children being taught certain things about Ireland, or Scotland. Tn regard to the teaching of; New Zea.land history, care should be taken not to offend the Native race. For instance, the Maoris objected to reference to the “Wairau Massacre.” As a matter of fact it was no massacre in the first place, but a fair battle. The massacre came afterwards through •the fault of the English. Miss E. R. Wilson (Newton East) quoted instances where the conn science clause had been used in Auckland, pupils leaving class because they objected to attending wnile certain history lessons were being taught. Mr. T. R. Fleming (Chief Inspector, Otagc) thought that history should be a compulsory subject for the junior national scholarship. He had moved to that effect at the conference of; inspectors, but the motion was thrown out on account of the conscience clause in the Act. For free places, under the Education Regulations, history and civics were compulsory. He was in favour of history being m.ade a compulsory subject at the schools, because the objections to ic were so small. The compulsory clause in the regulations regarding history and civics was certainly in opposition tb the conscience clause in the Act.