THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM

New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 343, 18 January 1946, Page 5

THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Sir,-I .support your correspondent R. I. F, Pattison with regard to the lowering of the standard in Latin under the new curriculum, However, speaking generally, I think that there are some admirable things about the new curri-culum-for example, the increased importance placed on social studies and musical appreciation. But it is possible to teach these subjects without lowering the standard in, and discouraging the teaching of, the subjects that require the most thorough study--the languages and mathematics, and some sciences. Unfortunately the new curriculum is out to do just that. Languages are reduced to the status of options, and there is a marked lowering of the standard in all hard subjects. On the other hand, a pupil is taught to use his hands-a very excellent thing. But we seem to be in danger, while we make a pupil learn to use his hands, of NOT teaching him to use his head and of making him mentally lazy. And that is a far worse thing than lack of manual training. The late Lord Tweedsmuir in his inaugural address as Chancellor of Edinburgh University in 1938 acknowledged the failure of giving students too wide a choice in the contents of a curriculum. "Under that practice a young man was permitted to make his own selection from a huge variety of subjects; the result was that his training tended to be in snippets which collectively did not represent a true intellectual discipline." That is applicable to a secondary school curriculum also. Similarly, J. M. Barrie told the students of St. Andrew’s University, "I am far from taking a side against the classics. I should &$ soon argue against your having tops to your heads; that way lie the best tops." Social studies and musical appreciation are excellent things, But we must not allow pupils to avoid the subjects that most of all demand severe mental discipline, nor should we lower our standard in any spbjects at all,

F.M.

B.

(Auckland).