EDUCATIONAL REFORM,

Taranaki Daily News, 16 May 1922, Page 7

EDUCATIONAL REFORM,

SYSTEM UNDER REVIEW, THE POST PRIMARY COURSE. t DANGERS OF SPECIALISATION. The question of the reform of the educational system of the Dominion is to be considered at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute, to be held at Wellington to-day. The institute was requested by the Minister for Education last year to go into this matter, and asked the Auckland branch to prepare a report dealing with education reform, and specially with ways and means of ensuring better curricula than hitherto existed-

The Auckland branch set up a special committee to prepare the required report, and after careful examination of the courses of instruction prescribed by the various education authorities in Great Britain, Australia, South Africa, and the United States, the committee came to the conclusion that the Dominion should have a course specially devised to meet the needs of its own people—needs which it considered were in many respects quite dissimilar from those of any other country. SUGGESTED BASTS FOR DISCUSSION. The committee suggests as a basis for discussion for the conference:— 1. That there shall be a primary course, providing a thorough grounding in the essentials of English and arithmetic, together with suitable instruction in the elements of such subjects as geography, history, drawing, vocal music, health and morals, physical exercises, and in such handwork as can with advantage be' correlated with arithmetic, geography, drawing and with observatk.i lessons in nature study and the “science of common things.” 2. That at about the age of 12, pupils whose parents desire them to prepare for what may be termed a literary and scientific or professional career, shall be given an opportunity to qualify for admission to a grammar school, high school, or district high school. 3. That all others and those who fail to qualify as above shall remain on either in the primary schools or in special “post primary schools” for, say, during two years, during which in addition to receiving more advanced instruction in the subjects named above, they shall enter upon courses of instruction differentiated for boys and for girls in euch subjects as elementary handicraft, domestic science ... or upon a special course for “non-intellectuals.’’ TRANSITION FROM GRADE TO GRADE. It is felt, states the report, that in every community there is a regrettably large proportion of children who could never qualify in the usual way for the full post-primary course and that for all such ample provision should be made for education through handicraft. The committee has affirmed that whether the child be educated in a single school or in a series of schools, beginning with the infant school and ending with the university, the course prescribed for him should be a continuous one in which the curriculum for each succeeding grade would be a development of that of the preceding grade, and that the transition from grade to grade should be made as easy as passage from class to class now was. The committee also agree that the. utter lack of co-ordination between the various forms of education in New Zealand (primary, secondary, and university) make the present system not only wasteful, but prevent it from meeting the real needs of the growing youth of to-day, and, further, that the existing examination requirements lead to specialisation being attempted too soon. It therefore urges that no reform would be satisfactory unless in framing the next curriculum the nature of the child to be educated, and the kind of citizen it desired he should become, were kept steadily in view. , Agreeing that the child should be edueated for leisure as well as for vocation, the commiteee strongly recommends that specialisation should be deferred as long as possible.

NORMAL COURSES RECOM MENDED.

As new stages of development begin approximately at seven years, 12 years, and 17 or 18 years, the normal courses would be: For children under 7 years, infant school course; for children between 7 and 12 years, primary schooj course; and for (a) pupils between lyears and 17 or 18 years, post P r ™ , “'y courses suitable for adolescents, and (b) for those of 18 years and more the university course. ... A + In the lower grades it is intended that general, broad courses should provide for the requirements of all pupils and that in the post primary grades differentiation of courses for individuals shall gradually be introduced. The committee is of opinion that these post primary courses, each providing for a general culture with a bias toward some general type of life, e.g., industrial or professional, should be provided in one large school rather twin in separate schools and recognised that where numbers are small (as in New Zealand rural districts) and possibly for other reasons they might even be provided by the same institution as that responsible for the primary course. CHOICE OF VOCATION FOR PUPILS, The particular post primary course to be followed by each pupil should be decided after consideration of the pupils own wish, his bent as evidenced m his primary course, the wish of the parents, and the requirements of the new course to be followed. The committee suggests that the primary teacher, the post primary teacher, and the parent of the child, should meet to consult as to the best course for the pupil; also that if it should be afterwards found that a mistake had been made in committing the pupil to a certain course, every facility for transferring him to another course should be afforded. It is recommended that the length of the post primary course should in no case be less than three years (12 to 15 years), and where it terminates so early provision should be made for a cont’ruation course for at least two more years. Such a course should be cultural as well as vocational, and should definitely aim at social training in this all important period of adolescence. Subject to certain general requirements, which it outlines, the committee suggests the following as types of syllabuses that should be prescribed for jjost primary schools: Course A : Gen-

eral (with language restricted to the mother tongue) to cover three, years and to be continued part time for two more years. Course B: Suitable for those likely to succeed in professions requiring much abstract thought (law, theology, etc.). Course C: Suitable for those likely to succeed in professions requiring skill in practical concrete problems (engineers, architects, etc.). Course D: Suitable for those likely to become captains of commerce, industry, etc. Course E: Suitable for those likely to become teachers. Courses B to F are all intended as preparatory to a university course. In conclusion the committee expresses ithe opinion that in addition to the matriculation examination other means should be found for admitting to the university students who can reasonably be expected to benefit thereby, and that the varied curricula of the university should provide for the continuation " upwards of all the activities for which the post primary courses have k beeu preparing.