THE EDUCATION OF THE FUTURE.

Shannon News, 24 June 1921, Page 1

THE EDUCATION OF THE FUTURE.

Mr F. H. Bakeweh, Senior Inspector of the Wellington Education District, addressed the teachers of the Horowhenua area at the State School. 1 Otaki, on Saturday last. Mr C. F. Rockel presided over a large and representative attendance. Mr Bakeweli dealt with various phases of the education of the child. The portions which are of interest to the general public are those with reference to the proposed post primary coutrse< sex hygiene and retardation. The present system ol' lumping all children of an age and of various intellectual standards in one class would have to be dealt with. The Government had a committee at work busily engaged in collecting data on this important question. Exhaustive tests for many years past had been carried out in the United States of America, and these, with our own observations, would be used in New Zealand; in the years to come. At the present'time the reason for the presence of so many older children among children of tender in a class was, especially in New Zealand, because of the undue prominence given to arithmetic in our schools.

Sex hygiene was a very difficult subject. Everyone knew that the parent was the right one to give such information to a child, but the unfortunate fact was' that few if any did so. He recognised the immense difficulty of instruction in sex hygiene, and especially to a class. It was a subject for individual instruction. And, further, it needed supreme tact. The Department of Health connected with the schools were preparing a pamphlet for issue to teachers on the vital subject. In connection with the post primary course, commencing .from 1922, the school,, age would he 15 years as •against the present 14. The proposals were to close the present primary course at Standard V., with an average age of 12 years. To that end the subjects at present taken in Standard T. would need modification, especially arithmetic. In the large towns the system would come into operation almost at once, and in those towns having district high schools. He himself often deplored the wiping out of the old Standard VII. We heard much from business men ot the poor quality of the boys and girls entering their services with Standard VI. proficiency certificates, but be thought they were being compared with the old Standard VII. boys and girlsT^ who hacl had the opportunity in the old days of consolidating their Standard VI. work. In the new post primary work, from 13 to 15 years, efforts would be m,ade to find the pupil’s bent. There would be several parallel courses leading up to an industrial, commercial and agricultural outlook l'or the pupil. This would lead to a course of three to four years in a secondary ' department, at the age when the scholar would be more likely to know in mind what he or she wished to do in the larger sphere of man’s existence.