HEALTH TEACHING IN SCHOOLS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 100, 5 January 1912, Page 8

HEALTH TEACHING IN SCHOOLS

REGULAR COURSE WANTED. By Telegraph—Press Association. Timaru, January 3. The president of the Educational Institute (Mr. 0. D. Flambank), in urging | the adoption of a definite course in hyjgiene in schools, said the necessity for it was indicated by the large loss of lives under one year. The majority of infants were born healthy, but were'sacrificed to the ignorance of their parents. It was not much good urging the medical and dental examination of school children unless parents were better instructed, save that through sucli examinations greater interest in the children's health might result. At present something was done in regard to healthteaching, but in a haphazard manner. It should be dealt with in regular courses, graduated by standards. Mr. Flamank suggested certain divisions of the subject as suitable, and said teachers should have text books specially drawn up to aid them. Hygiene, too, should replace physiology as a subject §>r teachers' examinations. A considerable portion of the paper was devoted to advocacy of teaching the' physiology of sex to .those of j twelve years and upwards. The home was the ideal place for teaching this, but J experience proved that the ideal was impracticable. The necessity for it was admitted, and the question was whether the teaching should be individual or collective. Previously he had believed in individual teaching, but after hearing the secretary of the White Cross League give a lecture to boys, he believed the collective method was best. In order to make a commencement, he suggested the appointment of two instructors carefully selected by the Education Department to visit the schools of the Dominion.