New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, JANUARY 2O, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4939, 20 January 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 1877.

Mr. Lee’s report, read at the meeting of the Board on Wednesday, on the state of public education within the jurisdiction of the Wellington Board, is in a word comprehensive and: satisfactory. It differs widely from ordinary productions of its class. Reports' of this kind usually deal only in generalities, from which merely undefined notions of the state of education in the particular localities to which they refer may be obtained. They are frequently characterised by a want of .thoroughness, and are consequently unsatisfactory. And judging from such reports we may presume that the examination of schools in such districts is loose, and that only an approximate idea of the progress of educational matters in their several districts can be formed. Mr. Lee deserves credit for having forsaken the beaten track, and supplied the public with a full and comprehensive" report of the result of his examinations. He has not only shown the state of education from a general point of view, but also the exact position, in so far as attainments, and progress are concerned, of each individual . school. ; We are pleased to find, from a perusal of the report, that really good work is _ being done, and steady progress made in the vast majority of the schools in this educational district. The ‘ 1 Standards” which' are now in force, and which were introduced by the Inspector and adopted by the Board, are working very well, and have created a spirit of emulation among the teachers, and a spirit of industry and perseverance among the scholars. The certificates of merit awarded by the Board to the successful candidates'are at once an evidence of their proficiency in the various subjects in which they have been examined, 1 and also a reward for persevering toil, Another benefit derived from this system is that it is calculated ‘ to bring the really good teacher into the front rank of his:profession, and enables him to secure the esteem and goodwill of the public. It also exposes the idle and incompetent to the pu,blic gaze. It is but right that the people should know exactly what they pay their money for ; and in no case is this more strongly to be desired than in the education of the young —a.matter in which, all classes of the. community are immediately concerned. Much has been said of late years, and justly so, against, the practice of r.‘ ‘ cramming,” and it is a: practice which cannot be too strongly deprecated, and specially guarded against. It has been said further that a system of “Standards” .is' calculated to foster this practice. Beyond a doubt it is possible for a teacher of even moderate ability to select a few clever pupils, and. by devoting his attention to them, to the neglect of: the less promising, bring the few to a state of proficiency in the mere thumb and finger work of education.' But; experience has shown that pupils thus “crammed” cannot 'stand ! a searching examination under a clever Inspector, and signally fail under the ordeal. ... The. really honest teacher is he who does good work all round, attd who devotes extra attention to the dull ones,• rather than to those who, from their natural 5 ability, require less assistance, The Board of Education has done good service since its formation. It found education in a very low state In the province. But its members set themselves vigorously to Work. And for their successful efforts to promote the interests of education in our midst, they deserve the lasting gratitude of the people. With but limited means at their command, they have educed order out of chaos, and. extended their operations to the utmost limits of the district. While dealing with the subject of primary education, it may not be out of place to say a word or two on the question from a national point of view, as it’ must sooner or later; occupy the attention of the Legis: lature. It will behove us to look well to the question, and devise a scheme for the whole colony,, which will meet our growing requirements, without disturbing existing institutions more than is necessary, where they have been found to work well. At a recent meeting of teachers in this city, a resolution was passed affirming the desirability of a Department of Education, with administrative hoards! These gentlemen, speaking in their professional capacity, are entitled to consideration at the hands of the Government. Being experts in their own peculiar sphere, they are of all men most likely to know what is best suited to the wants of the service, and to promote the interests of education generally. Mr. Ballance, the member

for Rangitikei, in a recent, speech at Martoh, winch appeared in Thursday’s issue of the Times, gave expression to his views on the subject of popular education. . Thatgentlomansaid : —“ The Counties Bill was intended to confer large powers of local administration, and it would probably be found that the Councils would be entirely entrusted with the control of education,” &c. This is not the first time that Mr. Ballance has expressed himself in a similar manner. It is to be hoped he is not in this case the exponent of the intentions of Parliament. County Councils, Road Boards, and such like bodies, are for the most- part composed of men utterly unqualified to cope with educational matters. Gentlemen fully competent to deal with such questions as roads, bridges, footpaths, and local taxation, are quite out of their element when discussing the qualifications of a teacher, or judging of his work in school. Moreover,, wherever the experiment has been tried it has failed utterly. The curse of public education in England for generations was its localisation. True, there were exceptional cases where it succeeded well; but we speak of the rule, and not of exceptions. Better, far better; let things remain as they are, -than run the risk of disorganising and. , disintegrating our scheme of national education, and ruining the prospects of the rising generation. There are numbers in these localities who have an intense desire to promote education. But the question is not one of, zeal, but of ability. Education is a science, and, to be successful, must be in the hands of professional men. Let there be one comprehensive scheme of education for the whole colony, with the supreme control in the hands of the Executive, and Boards of Advice if it be so desired, and we know of no bodies so likely to fulfil these duties efficiently as the present Boards of Education. Under the old system the colony, as a whole, has progressed well, and this may not be an inopportune time to compare our advance with that of the oldest colony of the Australian group. We recently published a speech by the : Colonial Secretary, of New South Wales at the foundation of the new public school at Mudgee. When speaking of the efforts made in that colony on behalf of pbpular education, and of the part taken by the Government in the matter, the remarks of the hon. gentleman were in the highest degree laudatory. A few figures will show the favorable position of primary education in New Zealand. In 1875 in New South Wales the total amount expended on education from all sources, including Government allowances, voluntary contributions, fees, &c., for public schools, Universities, affiliated Collages, and .the Grammar School, was £277,723. The amount expended .in New Zealand I for the same year for primary education 'alone was £185,000. In New South Wales there were 1886 schools all told, with 2342 teachers. In New Zealand we had 650 public schools, and about 1200 teachers. Considering the age, extent, and relative population of the two countries, we have no reason to feel ashamed of onr efforts to promote popular education.