To the Editor of the "Norrm-Cama Dary News."
Sir—Your readers have, no doubt, followed with groat interest' the corres. pondence and the discussion at the ratepayers' meeting concerning municipal trading, The educational questions that have recently arisen are surely of equal importance, and deserve at least the same share of public attention, One wonders how a resolution to the following effect would faroat a ratepayers' meeting "That in subsidizing out of the rates a school that gives other than elementary education, the Municipal Council goes beyond the limits of legitimate assistance to the cause of education."
The reference is, of course, to the recent decision of the school committee to "adapt" or "adopt" the syllabus of the Cambridge Local Examinations as the standard in determining the curriculum of the Shanghai Public School.
We are probably all agreed that no well-ordered community can afford to harbour illiterate members; but if the Municipal Council is to be guided by the principle that underlies our educational system in England, ratepayers' money would be spent in aiding elementary education only.
Roughly speaking, schools at homo are divided into two classes,—primary and secondary. The former includes the voluntary and the board schools, which are assisted or entirely supported by the "school rate." At these schools the education is entirely elementary. The majority of the teachers pass through special training colleges, and are prepared to take charge of much larger classes than would be found in secondary schools.
People who want higher education send their children to secondary schools, and pay for it. Many of these schools benefit from endowments. Most of them depend entirely on the fees paid by parents. The teachers, too, are generally of a different social standing to those engaged in elementary school work.
Why should the ratepayer, who finds it expensive enough in all' conscience to obtain higher education for his own children, be called upon to pay for the same standard of education for other people's children Again, if the Shanghai Public School is to offer secondary education at the ratepayers' expense, why should not other schools educating Shanghai boys also receive subsidies from Municipal funds It is safe to predict. that any attempt to conduct both elementary and secondary
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.