THE SCHOOL AGE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2611, 26 July 1923, Page 3

THE SCHOOL AGE.

LOW PROFICIENCY STANDARD. During the conference he had with delegates of the New Zealand Educational Institute a few days ago, ' the Minister of Education (Hon. C. J. Parr) raised the question of the high average age of children who got through the sixth standard in New Zealand. The age of the sixth standard pupil in this country was about 14, and therein lay a weakness in the view of the Minister. He could not help feeling that the cause of this belated passing of standard VT lay in holding, hack too long children in the preparatory or primer classes. It was altogether unjustifiable to hold children three and even four years in the primer class. Mr Parr said he had been informed that some teachers, in order to get efficiency marks for themselves in the grading scheme, were keeping efficient children too long in a standard when the same children could pass on to a further standard and practically do two standards or classes in one year. He mentioned these matters in the hope that they would receive the consideration of the teachers, as it was all-important to the child not to suffer delay in his elementary school career’. Some of the teachers’ representatives said that the inspectors largely “valuated” the teacher on the attainments of his class, and naturally the teacher kept his class as high in efficiency as possible.

The Minister said he hoped the inspectors would not fail to appreciate the work of a teacher who could send a fair proportion of his pupils on to a higher class each year, without waiting for them to attain a -full year in one class. Such ii teacher should receive commendation from the inspectors. An infant mistress who was present said that the long stay in the primer class was sometimes due to insufficient staffing in the prepara-

tory form. the Minister, replied that there should he no excuse for insufficient staffing in the primer department. Headmasters had been given considerable discretion with the allocation of staffs, in tlic interests of the primary department.