EDUCATION

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10617, 16 June 1920, Page 5

EDUCATION

IMPROVED SYSTEM URGED EXTENSION OF COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE AGE. VIEWS OF DR. AV. J. ANDERSON. * ______ Important views pertaining to the education system of the Dominion wore expressed by Dr AV. J. Anderson, Director-General of Education, at the meeting of the Council of Education yesterday. He said that the time had now arrived when they should consider the efficacy of extending the age for compulsory attendance Irom 11 years to 15 years of age. He did not mean bv the application of those very limited and more or less ineffective provisions for compulsory attendance ac continuation classes that had already found their way into the Stat-ute-Hook, but by the extension of the compulsory age for full-time attendance, i t Was quite clear that, everybody was satisfied that the age when a child graduated from the primary school was a period when every attention should be given to our young people before they settled down to some occupation. At present, there was a. great loss to the community throu,gh"lack of cn.re in looking after children after the age of 11 years was reached. The extension of the school ago could not be effected unless wo were prepared to do a great deal more in tile shape of organisation and classification of the schools of the Dominion than was done at tlto present time.

POSITION OF POOR PARENTS. Another point was, if they vvere going to extend the age .they would have to consider the position of the poor parent whose children at present went to work after leaving the primary school. It was just possible that they would have to consider whether an allowance should not be mado in such cases. Personally, he would not say whether this should be done, or whether it was desirable or necessary. In any ease, he was confident that the people of the Dominion were prepared to make the sacrifice in order to ensure an extra year’s compulsory schooling for their children. Never before had there been such a flow of children who were prepared to take up a secondary schools course. Thero had just been a check in that attendance, hut this was wholly temporary and occidental. It was indisputable that the tendency had been more and more to allow children the opportunity of attending secondary schools. Over and above that, however, they could not undertake to provide education for every child up to the age of 15 years without reconsidering" the relationship of the primary and secondary® schools. . Also, it could not be considered until tho necessary accommodation vv a a available in the schools.

THE COURSE OE INSTRUCTION. Referring to the course of instruction to bo imparted. Dr Anderson said that he could not imagine for a moment that they would keep children up to tbo age of 15 years engaged solely on primary work. The proposal womJ moan the reconstruction ot the primary course and also the continuation work that would follow. Tho Alinister for Education would doubtless have something to say on tho point before tho council. Personally, no (Dr Anderson) was firmly convinced that they ought to get tho children earlier through the primary school course than they did at present- The average ago at which tho children of the Dominion left the primary schools, and tijo average at which they entered the secondary schools, vvere both too high. By the adoption of certain devices _to hasten promotion, if they could bring the average at which a child graduated from the primary school down to twelve years and six months, the educational authorities would be doing a very good thing indeed. There v/cre, howe'er, certain problems in the process ot administration and promotion that would have to. bo considered before they could get the ago limit down to what he considered it should be. In England six years and nine months was the average at which the children entered tho first standard. Our children did not do anything like that. C'oiTespondiugly the children 4 ‘passed” out of tho &nglish schools, something earlier than here. He was perfectly well avvaro that the age test was an uncertain test, but it applied in general averages. In the adoption of any methods to lower tlto age at which children passed out of primary schools, he would prefer a double scheme of promotion rather than the establishment of backward classes. Under a double scheme of promotion, the brighter children would be enabled lo pass" from one standard to another in, say, six months and the others - n twelve months.

QUESTION OF CENTRALISATION. The question of the centralisation of professional courses in one school and in another school courses of the typo dealt with in technical colleges was referred to by Dr AV. J. Anderson, Director-Genorul of Education, in tho course, of an address to the Council of Education yesterday. Ho did not think that any serious opposition could be offered to such a proposal. Instruction of that kind should bo given to children between tho ages of twelve years and fifteen years or thirteen years and fifteen years. Primarily, the course of knowledge that they should set out to impart to all children except tho ones picked out for scholarships and the like should be a continuation of the primary school courses on advanced lines. He had in his mind the development of arithmetic to elementary mathematics, history and civics; the cultivation of literary habits, and composition, and drawing, which was no longer an ornamental feature of the school curriculum. Tho course should also include something about science. CIU'X TO SUCCESS. Afore careful attention to tho attendance of children might also do something to accomplish the idea! ho had outlined, continued Dr Anderson. It might be, too, that New Zealand children had not acquired tho name habit for school work ns that possessed by children under less favourable conditions in tho Old Country. Maybe there, was too much pleasure, 100 much sport, and too many holidays in the Dominion. At all events, the problem required examination'. Above all, everything that wo could do in the organisation, of our education was tho duty of cutting down the numbers of children in tho classes to each teacher, and correspondingly tho elevation in the position of the teacher, so that by raising his status, we could got a much bet-

ter class of people generally in the profession. That i.s the crux. In these two ways more than m any other nay we would get the children properly educated and n reasonable primary course finished and completed at a reasonable ago.