33

E.—7 A,

average qualification in scholarship, there must also be a strong leaven of specialist teachers to compass the work of the highest forms, and so enable the secondary school to play its part as a sound foundation for university work. Accordingly, the students chosen for university courses are expected to secure a good degree and not merely a pass degree, and, moreover, they must take groups of subjects qualifying them for their future work. Naturally, it is wrong to expect teacher students to gain distinction in their university studies if they have to undertake heavy duties for the Teachers' College, and every effort is made during the years devoted to study for degree to free them from such duties and obligations. As a rule, any training in practical teaching taken concurrently with the degree course is given in the vacations, and the student is set free during university terms to devote his whole time to his culture stixdies. When the degree course is completed the year's course of professional training begins, and the student is required to give full and undivided attention to this. Any system which involves the carrying on of university study and professional training concurrently during a period only long enough to secure a degree is liable to many abuses and shortcomings. When the organization and supervision are so complete that professional training is not scamped or taken indifferently, the strain upon the student is such, that there is more than a likelihood that at the end of his course he has acquired neither adequate scholarship nor adequate professional training. The purpose of university training is to equip the young teacher so that he may teach in a thorough and stimulating way. He must know his subject in itself and in relation to others, and must be able to apply this knowledge to the facts of ordinary life. To realize these aims he must have leisure for related reading, for discussion, for browsing. The educational ideals of a teacher student so driven by multiplicity of duties and shortness of time, that he must inevitably think only of examination values in his studies, are being steadily sapped, and he is likely to become a mechanical, uninspiring teacher, efficient only for getting results under an examination-ridden system. The two desiderata, therefore, are ample time for the study of culture subjects and relegation of professional training almost wholly to a special period devoted entirely to it. The period of professional training is usually taken as a post-graduate course. It may be mentioned that the invariable practice in Great Britain is to concentrate upon professional training during the year following upon graduation, and that this plan has developed after a thorough experience of the defects of the concurrent method. We were interested to learn that in New Zealand no fewer than four Professors of Education have been appointed, one in each university college. There are also four training colleges, each offering courses of two years' duration and allowing selected students to attend university lectures. We were surprised, however, to find that two years was the limit of training, and that, while some of the students were able to take part of a degree course, none could complete a course unless they had qualified for part of it before they entered the college. We learned further that students of the training college attending lectures for degree courses were required to devote a very considerable part of their time to training-college activities, including attendance at lectures, teaching in the practice schools, &c. The fact that university courses are taken in the late afternoon and evening has been favourable to the development of the custom above described, but we cannot too strongly urge that not only is it unfair to the student teacher, but it inevitably tends to defeat the aim of a true system of teacher-training, the production of capable and inspiring teachers. | Moreover, as the group of training-college students attending university courses is a large one —viz., 564 for the four University centres — we would urge that any change in the direction of allowing students to devote full time to these courses, would have a very important bearing upon the question of improving the standards of university life and education by increasing the number of full-time students. The Education Department and the School Boards may confidently be expected to do all in their power to aid in securing this desirable result.

University study and professional training not concurrent.

Over-pressure on teacher students.

Period of training too short to allow of highest results.

5— E. 7A.