EDUCATION SYSTEM.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 July 1922, Page 4

EDUCATION SYSTEM.

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS. TRIAL TO BE MADE; (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, .July 8. The Minister for Education (Mr. Parr) told the members of the House of Representatives on Friday something about the proposed reform of the education system. The question was raised by Mr. T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South), who asked if the Minister was prepared, to make a statement regarding the junior high schools. “All that has been decided is to make a trial of the new type of school in one centre or possibly two centres,” said the Minister. “This is the junior high school, which deals with children from 12 to 15 years of age. I should like the House to realise that in other countries the system has got far beyond the experimental stage. It is in operation in the United States and Canada. The junior high schools are to be found in England, in Scotland, in Wales and in Australia. The time has come at least . for a trial of the new schooh here.” Mr. Sidey asked if the junior high’M schools were going to give vocational-* training. The Minister said that was quite a” wrong idea. Existing school buildingss would be used and the teachers wouldbe drawn from existing schools. The* idea was simply to shorten the elementary course so that the child could complete it at the age of twelve yeans and to provide an intermediate secondary course between the ages of 12 and 15 years. Educationalists all over the world were saying that 6 years, not; eight yeans, was the proper period forelementary education. Educational experts in New Zealand,, added the Minister, had approved of* the scheme. He believed that the junior high school system was going to help the country school children. The country children under present conditions had very little chance of getting high school education. Members: Hear, hear. When the new system was in opera* tion, said Mr. Parr, the Education Department would provide consolidated schools at central points in the country districts and would provide for the transport of the children to the schools, so that the children would be given a> sound secondary education.