EDUCATION ECONOMIES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 242, 2 June 1932, Page 4

EDUCATION ECONOMIES

The Minister of Education, the Hon. R: Masters, has announced the closing at the end of the year of two of the Departrnent's four teachers' training colleges for reasons of economy,stating in support of his action that this is in accordance with the recommendation of the National Economy Commission. In the present eircumstances, "when heavy reductions of national expenditure are of the utmost importance, and there is a considerable surplus of both trained and student teachers, the step is probably fully justified as a temporary measure. Whether the permanent reduction of the colleges by half is equally justifiable is at least open to question and the Minister might with advantage have said a little more on the point. Though he did not say so in so many words, it may reasonably be inferred from what he did say that the Wellington and Dunedin colleges are to be eliminated permanently and it therefore is desirable that the public should know exactly what is the Government's policy in regard to the training of teachers. Anything which limits the efficiency of the professional training of the nation's future school teachers will be viewed with apprehension and it is not unreasonable to suggest that a fifty per cent. reduction of the facilities for this appears excessive, even for these hard times. Teachers possessing the necessary high qualifications to enable them to makq the most of their opportunities are not to be produced at a moment's notice, nor can they be satisfactorily educated in very large classes. If, therefore, the provision in the past of a training eollege in each of the four centres has not been a wasteful extravagance, the closing down of two of them would appear to be a measure so drastic as to pass beyond the limits of economy and to involve the impairment of efficiency. Mr. Masters was unfortunately silent on this point. He did mention that the two colleges to be retained, those at Auckland and Christchurch, are the two newest and best equipped, but if, in order to maintain an adequate supply of teachers these are to be overcrowded, these advantages will be largely neutralised. The proposal almost suggests that, if efficiency is not to be sacrificed through overcrowding, a materiaf reduction of the staffing the public schools is contemplated. Such a proposal, however, would be directly contrary to the accepted principle that small classes are the most effective and as even the depression does not warrant a suggestion that there will in future be fewer scholars, it is difficult to conceive that even in the sacred name of economy the Government would be so foolish as to adopt such a policy. • Mr. Masters should therefore take an early opportunity to tel'l the country a little more fully exactly what is contemplated in connection with the training of members of the most important of all the professions. r !!!""' . — !gg ■ 1 ■ —mb.