JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 September 1922, Page 5

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS.

THE SCHEME OPPOSED. REMIT BY BOARDS’ CONFERENCE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Sept. 18. The Junior High School project w-aa severely criticised, by some speakers at the Education Boards’ Conference to-day on a Wanganui remit, which describes the scheme as unjustified at present when the Government has found it necessary to reduce salaries and grants. Mr. Durward, moving the remit, said the plan had been insufficiently discussed, and. the boards had not been consulted. Other organisations anxious to improve education had protested. The proposal was such as was to be expected from a Minister who marched through the country conscripting the youth of the country and. then returned to Wellington to draw up a Napoleonic code. Mr. Andrews (Christchurch) said the scheme involved, inestimable expense. He considered Mr. Caughley’s arguments unconvincing. The effect would be to rob the primary schools of headmasters and leave them with second-rate teachers. Mr. Purdie (Auckland) disagreed with these views. Unless education was taken in hand, the civilisation of the world would be gone. Any proposal to improve the New Zealand system should be welcomed. The scheme should not be objected to on the score of expense. Its value would far exceed the extra cost. Mr. Wallace (Otago) moved an amendment that the Minister be recommended not to proceed further with the plan until post-primary schools had proved a success. , Wellington, Last Night. Replying to the discussion on junior high schools at the Education Boards Conference, Mr. Caughley (Director of Education) said several pointe were badly confused. Hei suggested the conference should express an opinion on its merits, which was the main feature. The gap between primary and secondary schools had never been bridged, and if the position was not remedied by junior high schools how was it to be done? In Auckland children were falling over themselves to get to the new schools. The reply to the question, why did they not perfect the present system, was that they could not perfect a system which was fundamentally wrong. If pupils could go on in the junior high schools on a differentiated course senior and technical schools could be combined, as they differed onlv in about three subjects. The junior high schools would have threei-fifths of the curriculum common to all pupils and the remainder would be specialised. The proposal was not an experiment. New Zealand was ten years bdhind other countries. He thought the question of expense had been unduly stressed. It was suggested that “nothing further be done until the Director of Education should visit Great Britain to make inquiries” be added to Mr. Wallace’s amendment recommending the Minister to proceed no further with the establishment of junior high schools until they, as post primary schools, proved a success. . This was agreed to and the remit m this form was carried unanimously.