Academic Subjects Fall in Popularity

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 351, 11 May 1928, Page 16

Academic Subjects Fall in Popularity

SECONDARY EDUCATION EXPANSION IN DOMINION (From, Our Resident Reporter.) WELLINGTON, To-day. Secondary schools are showing a tendency to move away from the strictjy academic type of study in the direction of more material and utilitarian subjects. The Minister of Education, the Hon. R. A. Wright, when speaking at the Secondary Schools Conference today, spoke of the steady expansion of secondary education in New Zealand. Reviewing the number of departmental secondary schools, of which there are now 43, Mr. Wright said that two new schools were opened this year, Rongotai boys’ and Avonside girls’ schools; two last year, Rotorua and Takapuna; and two in 1926, Hutt Valley and Balclutha. The pupils on secondary schools rolls at March 1 for the past three years were as follows:—1928, 15,900; 1927, 15,000; 1926, 14,500. In 1919 the number was 9,400. There was thus an increase of 69 per cent, in nine years. In the same period the number of departmental schools had risen from 32 to 43, and the number of registered private secondary schools from 17 to 39. The following reasons had been suggested for the increases in the rolls: Recognition by parents that post-pri-mary education would eventually be of value to.the boy or girl no matter what walk of life was entered upon; difficulty of boys obtaining entrance into trades, lack of openings in apprenticeships, etc.; and, as far as this year was concerned, a considerable increase in the number of pupils passing the proficiency examination. BUILDING COSTS The total expenditure on secondarv school buildings and sites in 1927 was £94,000. The largest items were: Hostel for New Plymouth Girls’ High School, £19,000; new school and grounds, Takapuna, £12,000; additions to Hutt Valley High School, £10,000; additions to Marlborough High School, £7,400; new Girls’ High School at Avonside, £6,700; new school at Rotorua, £4,000; additions to Waitaki Girls’ High School, £3,000; memorial hall, Wellington College. £3,000; completion of new Boys’ High School at Christchurch, £3.000; site for new Boys’ High School at Dunedin, £2,200. Dealing with the curricula of secondary schools, Mr. Wright said it was satisfactory to note that the great majority of secondary schools were willing, and even anxious, to develop courses which excluded the more academic subjects such as Latin, and devote more attention to subjects better suited to the non-academic type of pupil, for example, woodwork, metalwork, drawing, commercial work and housecraft. THE NEW SYLLABUS In 1927 the percentage of pupils taking Latin was 41, and those taking French 88. In 1919 the percentages

were:—Latin, 46; French, 91. There were very few girls* schools where courses in domestic crafts were not encouraged. Increasing attention was being paid in boys’ schools to art and various forms of handwork. More boys’ schools, though admittedly not all, would have added instruction in manual work to the curriculum had tne requisite facilities and equipment been available in the past. Agricultural courses were being persevered with, although the support given to them by parents and pupils had not in some instances been encouraging. In regard to the effect the new primary school syllabus would have on secondary schools, Mr. Wright said he could not enter into details of the syllabus at this stage, but it was confidently expected that the secondary schools would be benefited considerably.

The gap between the primary and ondary syllabuses would undott be reduced, especially in mathenoa science, history and geography. little of the work hitherto reserved secondary schools had been ad the primary syllabus. Care had nevertheless been ensure that pupils completing — oU ],j education in the primary scboo Jwina te be given a satisfactory and _ ub j eC ts grounding in such essential as English and arithmetic.