THE SCHOOL AGE.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 June 1920, Page 5

THE SCHOOL AGE.

THE PROPOSAL TO BAISE IT. : VIEWS OF EDUCATION DIRECTOR. I By Telegraph.—Press Association, i Wellington, Last Night. [ In an address to the Council of Education to-day, the Director of Education (Dr. Anderson) spoke on the question of raising the schol age from 14 to 15 years, which, he said, would sooner or later have to be faced. By this he meant an extension of the full time tuitiop, and not continuation classes, which, ho indicated, were not altogether satisfactory. The adoption of any such proposal would involve a reconstruction of many of the aetivities both of primary schools find continuation work. Then there was speedier progress of pupils from standard to standard in order that they might complete the course more quickly In England, the average age at which pupils entered Standard I was six years and nine months, but New Zealand had not yet attained that rate.' This would necessitate, no doubt, in New Zealand, a double promotion scheme for pupils, by which some scholars wouJd pass through a standard in six months, and the remainder in twelve. Another question waR the centralisation of secondary education in the country, particularly in reference to district high schools. In the State of Massachusetts in America, the number of schools had been largely reduced by this j means. The difficulty in New Zealand was the transportation of children to find from schools.