The Daily News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17. EDUCATIONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 226, 17 September 1908, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17. EDUCATIONAL.

If some i)f Uie representatives of tli,. people ill I'arliament show tln-ins t -i at times a bit faddy, some cM-use.- 111 -ty perchance In' l<mlid fur them. Fui' instance, t here lie they win) entertain I'll' very profoundest respect fur Lin* educationally highly tiiiim'il. That is not liv iiiiv ill rims a bad trait ill auv mini. I'ossibly their own t-.liuaLh.iuil doiicieiilies lead llli'lll to place '.lll 'uiiil'iliuatc value upon cicijiiii'i'il advantages. 'ln lliem a man who has hail a distinguished career at college, who has perhaps a smattering of science, looms lar<;<*. Should lie lillil his way imo the teaciiing profession ho should lie given a largo school, a big .salary, and a tine house. It is i|iiiti' imiural that' sui'h an idea -should pos s e-s their minds. Jt has never occurred to them that tin 1 mail who :s thoughtful and studious is seldom very communicative; tluit a man may lir. a great scientist, stuck full of knowledge, and yet not have the faculty of imparting any of it. However learned a man may lie, what is his value as a teacher if his learning does not llow out of liiin j to his pupils'; lie may, perchance, be regarded by them as a surly, grumpy old man, unworthy of respect. Jiett.'i' a teacher not so learned, who is capable

of interesting his pupils, who commands their respect, who gives to them all tlie knowledge he has got. Ju short, the true teacher, as in other of the professions, is mostly born, not made. It is to be. feared that there is a disposition to reduce our educational system into a sort of cast-iron machine, I in which the leading characteristic is "drive"—everything regulated and fixed so that but little scope is permitted u> the. teacher to bring into play hi s personal inllucnee, his power to charm, his capacity to impart knowledge. It seems

to be forgotten that 'with children, as with men, it is much easier to lend than . to drive. Thus we have this highfalutin lull; of having academicians for teachers and bolstering thorn up as "stars" in their profession. Inline of the Australian states, under a perfectly centralised system, teachers were paid iu proportion to the number of passes in the several standards; that is to say. i the teacher was remunerated nfcorili'ig to the actual success of his labours; in short, payment by results. Nothing could be fairer in principle, both to the teacher and the State than such a bus's, the only objection being that it seemed to offer an inducement to the mercenary and unscrupulous to play tricks; pupils I who were in any way backward being readily glinted leave of absence from

school when examination day came, round, lint under any system that can | be devised the mercenary and the un- I scrupulous will always lind a way to resort to tricks and dodges. Even the 1 attendance roll can be tampered with. There are grounds for believing that at present the chiefs of our Kducatiim Department are not altogether satisfied with the principle now in force of re numerating teachers on the basis of the attendance roll, but, at present they are unable to see their wav to ell'eet a change. Clause 1-2 of the Education Act Amendment Bill was the occasion. of a big fight in the House last week. The battle displayed the jealousy and consequent friction constantly siibsistiu»- between Kilucalion linanls anil Scl 1 Committees. The Education ConuiiiiLc of the House is constituted of gentlemen who lire serving or have served upon Boards, and therefore they naturally look after the interests and voice the desires of the Boards. The evidene taken was given solely by teachers anxious in secure a higher status and improved conditions, and although, m> doubt, the Coiuniittee would very gladly have listened to representations on b" half of School Committees, no one a ipoars to have eoine'iorward to give expression to their views. The friction, warfare it might almost be called, constantly going on between the Bu.irdand the. Committees is a very serious blot upon our system, and if it raiiinl be brought to an end if is easy to predict that the legislature will he prompted to exclaim "a plague upon both your houses," and so sweep them away. Indeed, the member for Invcrcargill (Mr. Italian) and the member for Wellington South (.Mr. Aitken). amilsi cheers, plainly indicated thai such an end was not very far distant. The Government seem disinclined to expedite the passing of the Bill since the insertion of a clause providing for uniformity of school-books was carried | airain-t the wishes of the Education-Miiii-lor. According to report, the Cmornnieiit are determined not to allow thu insertion of the new clause, which they regard as a preliminary to free school-book.s, and that they prefer to sacrifice the whole measure.' It will lie very unfortunate if wdial is after all a very small point is allowed to wreck the" Bill, which, as we have before remarked, makes lor the amelioration of the conditions of teachers and improves the educational s.vsl.oin generally. II is not surprising that members of the teaching profession are bringing pressure to bear upon members of Parliament and the (iovernmeiit to push .in with the Bill ami give them the. relh'i' Unit they have been awaiting for :o miinv wearv years. It is to lie hoped that' the objectionable proviso will be dropped and the Bill made law this session. In any case, the Government is hardly justified in not proceeding with such an urgently-needed measure.