IDEAL OF EDUCATION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 14 January 1931, Page 3

IDEAL OF EDUCATION

TRIBUTE TO TEACHERS REMARKS BY BISHOP WEBTWA.TS.ON (By Telegraph—Special to “’l|ie Mail”) CHRISTCHURCH, 13th January. Some aspects of his recent trip Home to attend the Lambeth Conference were dealt with by Bishop West-Watson in an address at the teachers' summer school this afternoon. The Bishop said that his journey had been a great education to him, and lie would like to see school inspectors and other people in prominent educational positions able to go round the world to see the wonderful work being done in education elsewhere. Tlie Bishop said he had been accused of being a large question mark because lie had asked so many questions, and one tiling educationalists could do was to teach those under their charge to ask the right questions when they wished to gain knowledge. In New Zealand great things had been achieved in education in a comparatively short time. Just before the speaker left England there was a great increase in the number of young people going on to secondary schools, and somebody asked where Were black-coated jobs going to be found for all those who were attending secondary schools. That was a foolish question to ask. As if education were only necessary for those in black-coated jobs? When lie came to New Zealand the Bishop noticed that a much greater proportion of children were attending secondary schools. It seemed that the ideal of education had gripped the mind of the people. He wished to pay tribute to the great work that had been done for education in this country, and for that the teachers were largely responsible. Referring to the “incubus of the examination system,” the speaker said it was easy to throw stones at it, but it was difficult to know what to put in its place. Although the examination system hung over the school, prevented elasticity and hampered teachers, and although its removal would probably benefit the brilliant pupils, it would have a bad effect on the bulk of the pupils who worked best under compulsion. It had been said that the niost valuable capital of a country was the brains of its able citizens. The thing to aim at was the creation in this country of institutions where the really able people could develop their >peeial abilities, instead of having to go abroad. Were we giving them the opportunity to give to this country the best service possible ?