THE RURAL COURSE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10277, 3 July 1911, Page 5

THE RURAL COURSE.

HOW IT AFFECTS MASTERTON. MR W. H. JACKSON'S OPINION. i •—— A movement is being made in Petone in, the direction of estabHshing a rural course in connection with the local primary schools. This movement is being vigorously assailed by a certain section of the "community, which quotes the Maisiterton District High School as'an illustration of failure. At a meeting of the Petone West houseiholder.s on Thursday, a letter \was> read from Mr. Pierce C. Freeth, of which the following wtas .a part:—-"In the, Ma«terton school, where -Ene rural course is in operation, the* regular staffs have the class- ' es for only a little over 11 hours each week. This leaves only two hours per week for Latin, French, ' and mathematics, which are required for matriculation and junior civil t service examinations—sweating pure and simple, as these subjects have to be crammed during play time or odd. school hours, or super-imposed on home work. Mr Jackson, headmaster of the Masterton High School (in a letter to a Petone resident), points out that his committee objects to the compulsion that makes the whole school take the rural course in order to provide the capitation for the Instructor's salary, but explains that Mr Fleming, Inspector, had asserted that it wtas absolutely necessary to protect the scheme against financial breakdown. "This compulsion,'' he says, "is a severe handicap' to matriculation and | Juniorcivil service .candidates." It is argued, he says, that the candireferred;. t©r ; can take the rural' course instead of the old subjects, but against this must be set the value of the work of the itinerary teachec against that of the class teacher experienced in the prepa;nation of pupils for the examinations named.. Mr Jackson is in favour of the rural course, but he make® this candid admission: "The scheme could not be carried on without the compulsory regulation. The strongest proof of this, statement, .is the fact that every pupil in my school w!ho has completed the full two years of the, course has presented a request far exemption from further rural course work."

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