The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Or whatever state or persuasion, religious or political. TUESDAY,FEB, 24,1891.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2904, 24 February 1891, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Or whatever state or persuasion, religious or political. TUESDAY,FEB, 24,1891.

Tub proceedings of the. Council of the New Zealand Kdueational Institute, iit the n-cont sittings in Auckland, and tlio results of the late standard examinations are full of interest, und the reports of them will provide subjects for careful consideration. While our national system of education is, broadly speaking nndoui'tedly a boon to the colony/and particularly to those living far away from the larj,'e cities, where in education as in other things, unity is found to be strength, it is not by any means free from faults. It may also be added, that many of those, who uphold the present system, are tallyalive to its shortcomings, but fear that any attempt to change it might do more harm than good. One of the imperfections alluded to, is what may be called the high pressure system, upou which our national education is run. Not solid education, gradually acquired and in which the discretion of the teacher is largely relied upon, that is in dealing with quick or slowpupils ; but a series of Examinations Passes a 1 d Standards following in quick succession. It is how quickly I they can reach llu; top of the ladder and not how sound and permanent the structure, upon which the scholars haveclimbed. Cramming for examination is not being educated, and this, we are glad to see, is being generally recognised. Much interest has been felt as to what attitude the teachers would take, towards a mode of teaching which they are now realising has so largely removed their own individuality, and reduced them, tu what they themselves term, more standard grinders. Wβ make the following extracts from the Comtuitiee's report on this point which is by them cniled " L'Yeedoin of Classification. , ' —•• That this Council cakes steps to secure for New Zealand teachers freedom of classification in their schools. Your Committee is very strongly of opinion that great evil hris resulted from the Pass system. Everything done in the school appears to be done in view of the Inspector's examination visit, the greac event of the school year. Though the spur of the examination is useful, the Commissioners think the feeling produced by the annual examinations is not a healthy one.'

This is the report of tin; Com mittee, and although it qave rise to considerable discussiui;, it was unanimously adopted, iu doing so, we believe the Educational Institute have laker- it stup in the right • lit-ectioii. Whilst it is oliviously necessary tli-it the work done in our public schools should be carefully watched, it would certainly be better nationally, and perhaps even individually, if, as Mr Grundy said, the Inspector reported upon the school as a whole and not upon the individual scholars. The Council devoted some attention to the administration of the Act, and tho first resolution submitted to it in connection thorej with, was " That the Council bo recommended to advise tho placing , the compulsory clauses of tho Kducatinn Act, 1887, in the hiuds of Mie Police. This resolution was adopted, and we cordially endorse it. True, provision has been made (;>v dealing with the difficulty, by appointing truant officer* with full : lower to compel attendance, orre-covi-t penalties. Such an appointment might l»e made in the large centres, where the cost could be divided amongst several schools; in the country districts the cost would be fatal to its application, and tho position too invidious to be undertaken usability. At the same time this truant nuisance, as it may be termed, is a serious loss to many districts, and indirectly t o the whole colony, and calls for immediate attention. To country settlers, a point of very great importance was reached, when Mr Fitzgerald moved " That the attention of the Minister of Education be coiled, to the alleged unnecessary multiplication of schools in several educational districts, to the withdrawal from the maintenance fund of large sums ot money for school building purposes, aad to the consequent hardships to teachers, in tho serious diminution ot salaries." This resolution goes to

the very rwofc of our system of State L'lcluciitiou, by raisingjtlie quoation as to whose benefit it was drought into existence for. Vv'fs siv tor the country settler as well u<. for the town artisan, for the brave pioneer in the back country, who must have Siate-airlod Education or none at all, as well us for the large niassos congregated in the cities, where the payment of sixpence a week for each child would ensure good schooling. It necessarily entails a large number of schools and teachers and upon the principle of the " New Unionism" it certainly is a disiidvantage to teachers, having the vote for educational purposes, spread over a large number of them. But nevertheless we cannot help

(metaphorically) taking our hat off to Mr Upton, when with the. instinct of a true colonist as well as a thorough educationalist, at a subsequent st!i»eot" the proceedings, In-said--the. '\W.\n\ (of Education) h:ul one very important duty,—in Ukina cnv. that where were in a district, there should 1.0 a school. That every child should he taught, not only in the city, but in the country, inese are the sentiments we like to see uttered by our educational representatives, and with stieh men as M r Upton at the. head of them, the public will often feel like putting up with some juioir.iilies and drawhacks in out- syst.Mii of State Education, through the knowledge that l,y this myitis, and this alone, the .'iorious advantages of education are carried into the most isolated and remote districts of the colony.