The Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY. JULY 25, 1899 Education.

Manawatu Herald, 25 July 1899, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY. JULY 25, 1899 Education.

The Education Conference at Wellington has made some satisfactory suggestions for alterations in the present very unsatisfactory manner of imparting education to the children of the State. On two points they have emphatically endorsed the continual objections raised by Mr Thynne, made in years past in his correspondence with the Press on this coast. One being a proposal to alter the manner of voting for members of Education Boards, and the other the arrangement of children in accordance with their ability in different subjects. The present method under which parents are supposed to get representation on the Boards is as absurd and unfair a« could be imagined and has called forth protests without number, and, until now, without avail. The idea that by every committee having one vote was reasonable has been dissipated by showing that a small aided school of twenty scholars had the same voice in the election as a large school of 400 or 500 scholars. The Conference hardly meets this objection as we should have liked, but they widen the voting power by giving every committee man a separate vote, in place of one from the committee as a whole. However, as it is probable a more satisfactory way of voting for a committee will be introduced when the suggestions of the Conference are framed into an Act, even this difficulty will get righted. The stupendous absurdity of attempting to mould every child in a Standard on all subjects the same, has at last dawned upon our teachers as being an impossibility unless instead of encouraging their progress they are held back. This has been pointed out time and again but the old bogey that the State system of education must not be touched, has always up to now been raised to prevent any sensible improvements in it being made. The teachers now see that all children do not progress in each branch of education at the same pace, and what has been in force in English schools for the last fifty years is now proposed to be given a trial here, and each scholar is to be placed in any class to which his naturally, bent and proficiency he is filled for. We believe very much will be gained from the discussion at

this Conference, and we trust the Government will promptly act upon its suggestions, but we are not hopeful of anything being done this session.