370 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



December 1, 1917. 



for a Lecturer in Agricultural .Science at Harrison 

 ■College, Barbados, and, for seven vears, five local Agri- 

 cultural Scholarships to this College, each of an annual 

 value of £.50, were maintained from the same source, 

 while two of an annual value each of £7-5 were given 

 for scholars from the Windward Islands, and one from 

 the Leeward Islands. For several years the cost of the 

 Agricultural and Science Masters at the Grammar 

 Schools at Antigua and St. Kitts were defrayed from 

 Imperial funds, as were some eight local scholarships 

 at each of these schools. 



For some six or seven years assistance was also 

 given to Jamaica from Imperial funds in this matter 

 of providing science teaching in secondary schools. 



With the reduction of the Imperial Grant the duty 

 ■of maintaining this work fell upon the local Govern- 

 ments, by some of which, as at Barbados, the work 

 has been well maintained: in some instances its main- 

 tenance has not bef-n pressed with that vigour which 

 seems desirable. It is hoped that the present stimu- 

 lation of thought in this direction may bear truit. 



It must be admitted that in small communities, 

 with their necessarily small schools of a grammar 

 school standard, it is very difficult to maintain the 

 diversified forms of teaching which modern ideas 

 demand. It is recognized that attention must be given 

 to classics, m ithematics, English subjects, and science, 

 while according to modern ideas, 'games' play an 

 important part in the formation of character, and the 

 maintenance of the tone of a school. Adequately to 

 teach these subjects demands a highly diversified staff, 

 such as is not really obtainable in a small school. From 

 the nature of things, particularly from the class from 

 which our teachers and masters have been drawn, there 

 has been a natural tendency, first for classics and 

 English subjects to have consideration, then mathe- 

 matics, while science, until quite recently, has fared 

 badly, mainly because of the difficulty of obtaining 

 qualified teachers, a difficult}- which is increased when 

 it is required that the science teaching shall largeh' 

 have an agricultural bent. 



In this way it came about that science teaching 

 has been to a certain extent dependent on the Agri- 

 cultural Departments. These departments have men 

 possessing the requisite knowledge, though not always 

 trained as teachers, and there have been fre<|uent 

 demands for their sei'vices in connexion with the 

 grammar schools and colleges. In a measure this 

 is sound and useful, but it has many dangers and pit- 

 fil's. First, perhaps, is the underestimate in the 



popular mind of the time and effort required fur teach- 

 ing; it is thought that two or three hours a week may 

 be given to teaching, without serious interruption to 

 other duties. It is forgotten that good teaching 

 rei|uires thought and preparation, and that the inter- 

 ruption coming at regular, fixed periods, may be serious 

 as regards the other duties of the officer engaged to 

 teach. As a consequence, unless very carefully super- 

 vised, there is great danger of these dual duties proving 

 inefficient in both aspects, and disappointment and 

 failure resulting. 



As regards the teaching to be given in a West 

 Indian secondary school, it will probably be generally 

 admitted that this, in the case of the average boy who 

 is to follow an agricultural or commercial career, should 

 include a general knowledge of elementary science of 

 such a character as to enable him to take an intelli- 

 gent interest in his daily surroundings: he should have 

 at least an elementary knowledge of the main facts of 

 plant and animal life, and at least some rudimentary 

 training m chemistn' and physics. The examinations 

 of the principal examining bodies recognize this, and 

 make provision for testing the acquirements of the 

 scholars in these particulars. With careful selection 

 of subjects on the part of the teachers, a scholar may 

 acquire the necessary useful training, and the exam- 

 ination system, in spite of its disadvantages, may here 

 serve as a help and guide alike to teachers and pupils. 

 It is to be remembered that examining bodies are 

 willing to modify their requirements so as to serve to 

 good advantage the needs of the several districts with 

 which they are concerned. The main point to insist on 

 is. that for the average boy there must be a reasonable 

 amount ot general science taught, not as technical 

 training, but as general education. 



Science teaching requires special equipment in 

 the way of apparatus and laboratories, while, in its 

 agricultural a{-pects,jt necessitates some access to land. 

 All this imposes difficulties such as are not experienced 

 in the teaching of many school .subjects: for this reason 

 there is a tendency to shirk the teaching of science, 

 and particularly of agricultural science in ordinary 

 .schools. To overcome these requires money and men, 

 and only moderate success can be hoped for from 

 makeshift methods, and it is well to face the problem 

 boldly. Here it is that State aid and State encourage- 

 ment, which are not necessarily synonymous, will be 

 of great value, particularly in the smaller communities. 



It fre(|uently happens that a desire to extend the 

 teaching of agricultural science in a school leads tlioso 

 who are anxious to push the movement to make 



