The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, MARCH 7, 1887. THE SYLLABUS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2542, 7 March 1887, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, MARCH 7, 1887. THE SYLLABUS.

We are glad to notice that the question of "the syllabus" ia receiving some attention at the hands of the pross and the public in Otago> The syllabus in our schools is the amount of instruction the number of. sub-jects-prescribeoVfor common education, and it comprises the several standards which children year after year are called upon to pass, the jumps in the educational race which have to be suecessfullyaegotiated by pupils frequently .under tlie stimulus of. both whip and spur; The teachers in the Otago district, at the request of the Board; have recently sent in their opinions on the existing syllabus, and these opinions have ; beeri formulated in a report which has been adopted by the Board, and whioh will no doubt be brought before Parliament during the coming session.'. We have frequently expressed an opinion, that the existing syllabus is 'an undue strain upon teaphers and a positive cruelty 'to 1 children, and we are 'much gratified to find that its faults are about to be forced on the attention of the Legislature. The report to whioh wo have referred has been compiled by Dr Macgregor, an admittedly able man, and .to him mainly belongs the credit of initiating •whatrs likely to:prove a wholesome and necessary, reform in our publio school course. Dr Macgregor's report unhesitatingly condemns the amount of instruction now prescribed in; our schools as excessive and as calculated to retard both the mental and physical growth of children. This, in plain English, means that our children are now overtasked by tyrants. We do not mean to imply that the teachers are guilty of the tyranny from which pur Children suffer as they have no option or choice as to the number of subjects they shall teach, or the amount of instruction which they shall give; the syllabus settles all this for them, The syllabus is our educational Juggernaut, which crushes alike both teachers and children. It is statod ; that schools in New Zealand have a larger amount of prescribed work than schools in England and comparing our syllabus with that of other colonies and states it is found that ours is more oppressive and more unintelligent, Our ohildren may do more work in quantity, but this is accom-' plished by a sacrifico in quality andby a pressure on the minds and bodies of our little ones which must be injurious to their mental and physical development. That amiable, enthusiast, Sir, Robert Stout, since he became Minister of Education has done serious mischief by augmenting the syllabus, and it is satisfactory to find his.own district declaring war against it. - The Assembly ha? always fought shy of reviewing or. revising the Education Act, but experience has demonstrated that in very many rospocts it works badly in pracV tice, and if, 'as is probable, Sir Robert Stout refuses to amend it in the coming session the work will have to be undertaken in theMowing'one.