EDUCATION REFORM

Southland Times, Issue 18822, 15 May 1920, Page 5

EDUCATION REFORM

MR PARR’S PROPOSALS. REMODELLING THE SYSTEM. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, May 14. Addressing the Education Conference, the Hon. C. J. Parr, Minister of Education, outlined important proposals regarding educational reform. The Minister, who was accorded a most enthusiastic hearing, said that ho desired to introduce a number of subjects for free discussion with reference to educational reform in New Zealand. lie wished to take advantage of the presence of all the inspectors and representative teachers from all over New Zealand to discuss important matters which came within their own peculiar province. He wanted them specially to discuss the question of recasting the whole syllabus of instruction with the object of providing for:— (a) The termination of the primary school course at approximately the age of twelve years. (b) The preparation of pupils for admission to secondary schools at the age of about twelve years. (c) The establishment of central schools at which pupils who do not proceed to secondary schools will continue their studies after passing the primary stage. (d) Further instruction in the primary school for, say, two years, of pupils who had completed the primary school course in the localities where the establishment of central schools would be desirable. (e) A scheme of continued daylight education to say the age of eighteen. The Minister, proceeding, said all the world over leading educationalists were advising the recasting of the whole primary system of education on the lines he had indicated. Such proposals obviously meant more schools and more teachers, but that was no reason why, if it meant expense, New Zealand should lag behind the rest of the world . They could carry on from twelve to fifteen years with the post-ele-mentary course in most country schools. In the cities, of course, there should be no difficulty. He was afraid that many children lost a lot of time under our sixth standard course as it at present existed. Elsewhere they were cutting down the elementary course and starting the secondary course at the age of twelve years. It was held that a knowledge of the three Fa should be rooted and established by the age of twelve. He quoted numerous authorities abroad as showing the trend of educational reform, and in this connection he specially emphasised the importance of establishing central schools. The people at Home, he observed since the war, had been taking hold of the problem with both hands. Were we not lagging behind? What he wanted to hear them specially discuss was the establishment of elementary schools for children between the ages of six and twelve, intermediate schools for children between the ages of twelve and sixteen not attending secondary schools, and secondary schools for children between twelve and eighteen. The Minister, in concluding his address, said the opinion of a leading educationalist in Australia (Frank Tait) was that unless they frankly recognised that elementary education ended at twelve years of age the proper .development of intermediate and higher education was impossible. After discussing the Minister’s scheme, the conference carried the following resolution: “That the whole syllabus of instruction be recast with the object of providing for (1) the termination of the primary schools course at the approximate age of twelve years; (2) the preparation of pupils for admission to secondary schools at the age of twelve; (3) the establishment of central schools at which pupils whs do not proceed to the secondary schools will be able to continue their education to the age of sixteen.