EDUCATION COMMISSION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 295, 10 June 1912, Page 5

EDUCATION COMMISSION

FURTHER EVIDENCE. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Saturday. Mr. Tibbs, headmaster of the Grammar School, examined by the Education C ommission, said that he hatt small faith in the usefulness of agriculture taught from books. He enlarged on the value of schools' gardening, and made a strong plea for the retention of Latin, which he regarded as standing to the literary side as mathematics stands to the scientific side. He was not in favor of doing away with examinations altogether, and approved of scholarships, which added a stimulus to scholars and teachers. GROUPING UPPER STANDARDS. Auckland, June 7. The Education Commissioners devoted this morning to a tour of the schools. When the Commission resumed, Mr. E. C. Purdie (formerly teacher and inspector under the Auckland Board) brought forward his scheme for reorganisation of cetain standards in the primary schools for classification of children of varying mental capacity. Roughly, his idea was to concentrate in three large centres the higher standards, namely, 4, 5, and 6. He mentioned that his proposals would make for economy and efficiency, and had been universally commended. He felt sure the country which first adopted his scheme of grouping the upper standards in three schools would make great ■strides. Witness thought the work of the inspectors could be made much more effective if each one had charge of a defined district, and was made responsible for the state of the schools in that district.

Mr.G. Cousins, headmaster of the ftor« mal School, said that the most erying need of the present time was the training of children in the backblocks. He dwelt on the importance of regular attendance, and said that the state of the roads in the Auckland district prevented the children attending school regularly. Another disability was getting- teachers for the backblocks, and still another difficulty to contend with was the frequent ehanges of teachers in outlying country districts. He recommended the Government to improve the roads in the locality of these schools, so that they could be reached more easily. Good roads •would also terfd largely to improve the social life of the dwellers in the country. The salaries in the country were not sufficient to maintain the teacher in comfort, and he advocated that higher remuneration should be given, and also extra service marks to those who serve in remote schools. Then those who remained in such schools for a period, say of three years, should be assured of a better appointment. The witness considered that there should be a Dominion scale of salaries for inspectors, and the inspectors should have higher salaries than the officers working under them. The efficiency of the service required that the best teachers should he placed in the best position irrespective of their sex. M 7 ith regard to the subjects in the syllabus, the teaching of' English should be more definite, and the Department should insist more and more on simple written language only. Those who used the pen frequently' could not Write without making many errors in spelling. He would allow the dictionary to be used in all examinations, so as to train the children in the habit of using the dictionary. This was better than teaching them to spell long words. The dictation lesson should be more a test of language than of spelling. He advocated physical education, and for this purpose large playgrounds were necessary for the schools.

Mrs. Moore Jones, Principal of the Ladies' College, Remuera, requested that the Commission should take into consideration the advisability of altering the clause in the Act which provides for the inspection for private schools. This should not be in the way of "examination," but should be confined to the literal meaning of the word "inspection."