The Curse of Education

and between public instruction and private tuition. It would not be fair to lump them all together, for the evils they produce are by no

teachers, tutors, governesses, and parents alike; for all are engaged in keepin

velopment of a child than is the schoolmaster who has the care of a class. Children can contend, to a certain extent, against the tyranny of the tutor; they can force their own wishes upon his attention should they possess the necessary strength of character. But the s

hat is called a child's education at a tender age is verified by the fact that the State now compels, or rather pretends to compel, parents to send their children to school at the age of five, whilst large numbers of the children of the poor

ive, and as all knowledge is a blank to them they are ready to learn anything, within the limits of their comprehension, that the teacher may choose to put before them. This would place upon the latter a very heavy responsibility if the matter w

teacher, has a fixed plan of instruction which is more or less rigidly enforced. In the case of the school, as has already been stated, no attention whatever is paid to individual

ducation without them would be practically impossible. I do not disparage them in the least. But there is a good deal to b

'obligatory subjects' in infant schools. Article 15 of the Code now reads: 'The course of instruction in infant schools and classes should, as a rule, include-Suitable instruction, writing, and numbers,' etc. Compare this with the

general assumption that the curricula of schools must be of a more or less uniform pattern, and puts an end to the absurdity of the central authorit

Education Department's regulations, which, by making two-thirds of the Government grant depend upon a mechanical examination, inevitably gives a mechanical turn to the school teaching, a mechanical turn to the inspection, is, and must be, trying to the intellectual life of the school. In the inspection the mechanical examination of individual scholars in reading a short passage, writing a short passage, and working two or three sums, cannot but take the lion's share of room and importance, inasmuch as two-thirds of the Government grant

this complaint again and again. He saw the incentive to cramming provided by the mode of distri

tral authority. The duty of the inspectors is no longer to examine the children, but to investigate the methods of teaching, the qualifications of the teachers, and so fo

cation and for the support of training-colleges for teachers. The exercise of this function has necessitated the framing of a code of regulations to be observed by schools wishing to qualify themselves for the grant. This code

higher grant was formerly given if the scholars were taught under a certificated teacher, or under a teacher not less than eighteen years of age, approved by the inspector, and in a room prope

ort and recommendation of the inspector upon each of the following four points: (a) The suitability of the instruction to the circumstances of the children and the neighb

ms of this kind are only politically practicable when they are demanded by the irresistible voice of a strong public opinion. The public are misled as to the true issues by the intrigues of political pa

about the comparative merits of the two classes of elementary schools. Most people do not care a jot whether their children go to one or the other. It is

r the present system of education should be entirely discarded in favour of an altogether new plan? that behind all these petty controversies lie great issues, affecting the fundament

te; it is a very necessary accomplishment. A little arithmetic is also indispensable to the fulfilment of many of the commonest duties of everyday life. But, apart from the iniquity of cramming or forcing the brain in a particular direction, it must be recollected that by imp

s development is violently arrested by an artificial operation. Nor does the evil end here. This interference with Nature is carried on throughout the whole scho

hey contrive to drive out all original ideas without implanting any useful knowledge in their place. The general result of this wholesale manufacture of dummies will be dealt with directly. The intention here is merely to point out that the p