CONFERENCE OF SCHOOL INSPECTORS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 26, 31 January 1901, Page 2

CONFERENCE OF SCHOOL INSPECTORS.

[PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, January 29. The Inspectors' Oonfe-renco w*s resumed to-day. Mr HogVe o, InspejtorGenerd of Schools in his addrats, said the Minister of Education would b ■ | glad to have their opinions on any matters calling for attention or reform in educational affairs. The quesiio of a colonial scale of stiff and salaries would form a subj ct for discussion at, a later conferer.cp. As regards subjects of discussion, the syllabus now existing S' emed to re-quire anK-Ddttiont in regard to the amount of work requiied fr >m children at varioui stag s, to tho ar rangement of such woik, to the method of trtatmeirt of various hiihjects, and to the want of substantial differentiation between work in large and in until schools. Any attempt to r*m>ve the syllabus must be influenced by the view of the individual standard piss, and there would be an dement of urc- rtainty about it if, in addition to varying standards of interpretation in ditl'ureut there were added the fact that a child in a country school could pass a given standard with one or two subj'-c's Irs;) than a child in a tow n sober, >l. He had no sympathy with any desire to lessen the amount of reading required. He should invite the Cdtjfcre ce to consider how it was pt ssible to increase rather than diminish the amount cf reading, Arithme-ic might be curta ! l:d and modified. When Anglo-Saxons se far woke up as to adopt the decimal money system and the metric system of weights and measures, vre should absolutely gain tbrea or four hours a week in every school, and probably twice as much in evury counting-nous<\ All would agree, that pupil teachers* regulations, as far as 1 hey led up to teachers' certificates, should be as nearly as possible the same all over the colony. The question of scholarship r'gulations could hardly be considered apart from the who'e question of the link bew-)- n secondary and piimary eduction. Tlii question of tsaoners' certificates brought up the question of teachers' examinations and marks awarded for efficiency. Each training coll-go should have a model school in connection with it, where studsnts fhoald practice ev-ry day under close suparvision. The director should bo a lecturer in psychology and the history of education, ar d should have full control. With regard to the co-ordination of primary snl secondary education the present sys'em only partly and roughly solved the questions, as there was no limit to the number of free places for which the extra .$4 per annum would be paid. There was ro reason why iu all djs'riet high schools education should not be free if it were expedient to make it so. The Mini-tor was iocltned to favour ;the establishment of district high schools rathtr of high schools too jsmall to be ftible, either in staff oi | number of pupils. Jn large townr thin- ] possess fully equipped high schools thoso j who had passed stindaid 'VI and wee! ready to continue their school course for only a year might be dedr, with in i a seventh standard, but. with those that j were ready t.r stay two or three ycar.- [ t,he ease was different. To provide for I them free secondary education in! primary schools would cripp'e the bitih; schools, yet without such free secondary education they had to face the high >ehool fees. Iu short, should distric ' schools le fS'aMishef iu towns' where fully equipped high tchools exi-t, or was secondary educatioa to be giv6u in stauoard'VU.?

I'he address concluded with a statement on toe authority of the Minister thatanew School Attendance Bill would be introduced next fesian. It wa* proposed to raise the q£ exemption to 14,

Tt was nvoVc-d Ui'.'A to tr.c. r.j>- : M!on o-' ( t!u> mnmbeiv''•( His ('.> iiV«-(.;..■, - ','._ ' ><■ , sii-.ibl.-HW. Ki.tu.iilf\r<;.s '!'.., ]!::.. 'V.. tin;:- V. oo j abnliKhod ; t,ii.at '.ho V'.-rv.ter !m usi'V ; to CMt'tfli) 'ho sylhbi.s of mßtmr':io" m ■! as ro allow o? pn"ieien*. Uino ;i w:"fc ■ h"iv,ri (j/.v/oJ-A,; uj ojl ,o('!l0O q t/-, i)-i| | toncfjitic; of I'ufi'.'iaMrntal fmbjeots "i rb" j •■y'Mirts ; tlwt tho o'«rtHilraei>>!; vniiirai i mi«ht lie sf cured ; (n) by miihiojr th'< j ,yo:ii:rnp!iy cnurst! fdi'irfcnr and m;H'oj precise; (b\ !iy !uM\l>ject only, t'i'.d vii bMspsr liable t»' I specud (.xamin;,'ion ; (<;) by 1 .■ ; -ui-xa.;js;iii-» 1 [ tbo Mtsi of ins l .--iioi bin In iivir,i : >.;> :.k, ! |omit.t,mj! '. V.i t; r.'y ■ J f'.'.).'j iii.-Vrio AystTr! of discount K«(l pren.em- worf.b i:i'stocks, j und <vuipound iutovn ,i ; •.hat tho nuu;b.ir of cli-.su subject;: may hs rodusod "nj country Fehools by ;illow'i;\;,', the; taahoia to b).yrs oat at the disti olboii of the u-syo-'.to-h o'.)-: oc Ridru ciibjocis ; t'v.A tint Hyilnbus in epiajio«:,loii '■•■(>, modified,! and fi'orn Standards Ti. to VI. a b jtter graduated scheme of work bo adopted; f .ba f . only ho much grammar as is nscessiiry to give a rational comprehension of the principles of composition be taught; that in classes receiving instruction in the subject, grammar be in- i eluded in the subjects forming the basis of promotion. Wellington, Januiry 30. At the Conference to-day resolutions were passed amending the scheme for gramm.tr instructfon, and affirming that the syllabus of instruction be differentiated for large aud small schools; that the classification of a school shall be made by the school teacher; that geography be deleted as a pass subject for certificate of proficiency.