The Daily News. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1922. SCHOOL BOOKS.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1922, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1922. SCHOOL BOOKS.

The proposals submitted to the Taranaki Education Board on Monday by the Chief Inspector (Mr. J. A. Valentine) with the object of lessening the cost to parents in connection with the equipment of their children with the books in use in the various standards, are certainly long overdue. The matter is not one that should be treated locally, but should be approached as a problem, affecting the whole Dominion, and, therefore, calls for action by the Department. At the same time Mr. Valentine has done good service in setting the ball rolling, and now that the position of affairs has disclosed the extent of the needlessly heavy burden imposed on parents, especially those with large families, some satisfactory effort should be made to deal with a problem that has become particularly acute in consequence of the rise in prices. It has been the boast o£ the Dominion authorities that education here is free and universal, but while there is no actual direct charge to parents for the teaching i of their children at the State schools, the cost has to be met by the taxpayers, the parents having to bear the expense of all books and many other requisites which, in cases where there is more than one child in a family, pressed heavily on the wage-earn-ers, the more so in the past by reason of frequent changes of books and arbitrary requirements by some of the teachers. To the lay mind it can hardly be credited that the existing haphazard manner in which school requisites have been ordered could be tolerated in a progressive country, yet the fact remains that throughout the Dominion it has been a case of “go as you please” under each Education Board. If the basic system of education is to be free and universal, surely there should be a universal system of school books. If not, it is at once apparent that the children in some districts are either better off or less favorably placed than those in other districts. There can I be but one right method, and long . ere this the Department, on the advice of its experts, should have.

solved this problem of school books in such a way that efficiency and economy became the dominant factors of a well-devis-ed system that operated throughout the whole country. In the case of higher education, the books required are inevitably expensive, but to those who have not had the unpleasant experience of having to pay for children’s books used in the primary schools, it will come as a great surprise to learn that it costs thirty shillings to fit out a pupil for Standard VI., while the average cost in the case of the other standards is correspondingly high. Several suggestions have been made at various times with regard to this book problem. It is claimed by some that the State should supply all school requisites so as to make education entirely free. There are obvious objections to such a course, the chief being that far more wastage would ensue under such a system than is the case at present, besides which it is only fair that the parents should at least do theiy part in procuring books, provided the cost is kept within the limit of their ability to discharge, and the books acquired for the eldest child can be passed on to the younger ones so long as they can last. While text books may save teachers some trouble, it would seem that not nearly sufficient use is made of oral instruction, and !it is pleasing to note ‘ that Mr. ■ Valentine urges that pupils ! should be taught how to find out i things for themselves, instead of i being crammed with information ito be absorbed 11 parrot” fashion, i That, is the true principle on i which the budding intelligence of the young can be best cultivated, just as it is the true mission of education. It seems quite clear that considerable waste of equipment now takes place, and it is here that teachers can be of much practical service in giving practical demonstrations of economy. If any appreciable saving is to be effected in the cost of school books to parents, it appears the only way lies in the direction of the institution of a system whereby the same books shall be used throughout the Dominion, and then the Government could indent all such as are not produced locally, and, from a central store issuing same, together with the local productions, to the various boards at as near prime cost as possible. This, and the observance of economy by the teachers, should result in easing the burden of the parents very materially, and no time should be lost in initiating the new departure.