Schooling’s changing face

The Three Rs exhibition at the South Canterbury Museum draws its name from a well-known phrase regarding early education. Potentially coined as early as 1795, it refers to the fact that early teaching was focused on reading, writing and arithmetic.

Early education in New Zealand, based on models brought from Britain, was governed by a tightly controlled curriculum. It relied on a focus on the ‘three Rs’ and learning by repetition.

Instruction in religion and morals was also part of a school’s core values, even after the early church control of schools declined as the 20th century approached.

Most of us will also have memories of teachers – good and bad.

In our early education system most teachers before 1900 were women, and most teachers were poorly trained or even not qualified. Pay rates varied – men were paid significantly more than women, even after standard pay scales were introduced. Schools could also choose to pay a pittance to employ senior students as student-teachers to help supervise younger pupils. From the early 20th century student-teachers were phased out and training improved.

Teaching colleges received more funding and gradually the profession was standardised, making the job conditions more attractive. In 1914 the NZ Women Teachers’ Association was formed, pushing for equal pay, promotion, and appointment of women as school inspectors. Eventually, in 1960, they were one of the first groups to take advantage of the passing of the Government Service Equal Pay Act. The act also made returning to teaching more attractive for married women.

The improvement in the education system, and the growing emphasis on training teachers did help. In 1858 it was reported nearly 10 per cent of children could neither read nor write, but even the early changes to the system had improved matters by 1906, when only about 13 out of 1000 over 15 years of age remained unable to read or write.

Visit the South Canterbury Museum’s exhibition ‘‘The Three Rs’’ to explore more of the development of education.

Examples of technology changes in schools – slate boards used to practise maths and writing, and pens that were dipped in ink wells which fitted into a socket on desks.