466 \ATI\i: I:DL( ATIOX IN Till-: TKANSKia. 



native schools. The responsibihty iur this state of aitairs must 

 be shared by the missionary body, who have declared from time 

 to time in favour of the development and adaptation of the pre- 

 sent system, and that any future changes in Native Education 

 should be of the nature of adjustment within the educational 

 system of the Province. Such a decision is quite reasonable and 

 eminently wise ; but the trouble is that little etifort has been 

 made to secure these necessary developments and adaptations. 



At present, then, we are teaching the natives just what we 

 are teaching the white children. This is a mistake, and we have 

 already expressed ourselves in this sense, and given reasons else- 

 where in this paper. There is therefore no need to cover the 

 same ground a second time, though we take this opportunity 

 of em])hasisin^- the considerations already given. In particular 

 there is the totally different environment in which the native 

 children live, their totally different outlook, tradition, language, 

 and mentality ; also the totally diff'erent future which thev will 

 need to face when they grow up as compared with the ])rofes- 

 sional or commercial life for which our white children are being 

 prepared ; and the fact that they are compelled to assimilate all 

 this through a foreign language. Such a condition of affairs 

 one would imagine would closely affect the re])Utation of the 

 responsible educational authorities ; but here. api)arently. the 

 Edtication Department does not seem to realise that its jjosition 

 is educationally unsound I The glorious doctrine of l.iissc:; fairc 

 seems to be followed with a vengeance. 



From the native point of view the |)osition. if riglul\- \iewed. 

 would be regarded as quite unsatisfactory. Why should the 

 natives not be allowed to develo]) alon^ their own natifnial and 

 natural lines rather than be forced into Euro])ean moulds, which 

 do not at all suit their genius, and tend rather to handicaj) them, 

 and tuni tlic-ni out as ^o many " lialf-l).'ikc(! cakes." 



2. VERNACULAR AS MEDIUAt KAFIR AS Sll'.j IXT. 



Perha])S the first change to advocate would be the use ^-^i 

 the vernacular as the teaching medium. The letter of the law 

 leaves no room for the use of the vernacular, but various benevo- 

 lent assurances of an informal nature have encouraged the use 

 as teaching mediimi of the vernacular uj) to Standard III. When 

 it is remembered that the httle children coming from heathen 

 kraals know nothing of the I'^niilish language the folly of using 

 that language as medium becomes a])parent ; and perhaps that 

 accounts for the fact that in practice no exception is taken to 

 the use of Kafir in the lower standards. But the tacit permis- 

 sion is of coni])arativeIy recent date. Throughout English is 

 emphasised as medium, probably mistakenly, and the difficulty 

 of securing ins])ectors conversant with the vernacular no doubt 

 tended to keej) \\\) the emphasis of English. 



That hjiglish shcndd be taught as a subject in the lower 

 standards, and that with some emphasis, is quite right, when w'e 

 realise that ICnglish is to be the medium of instruction in the 



