Documentary History of Education in Upper Canada Volume 25

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1908 Excerpt: ... School Boards to bring these Schools up to the prescribed Legislative standard, as laid down in the Official Programme. A more unwise and untenable objection could not have been urged. Those who do so look at the question from a purely local and narrow standpoint. They forget that the fundamental principle involved in the adoption by the Country of a complete national system of education, stands opposed to such views, and that a national system must of necessity leave no room for Private, or Denominational, efforts to supplement it, but must include within itself a systematic and complete gradation of Schools from the lowest Elementary School up to the University itself, without a missing link, or break in the chain. They either forget, or ignore, the fact that this is the theory, --the very fundamental principle on which our Canadian national system of education is based; and that, while the Legislature has strictly defined the limits and functions of each class of its national Schools, it has most liberally provided in an ascending scale of remuneration for the support of each class. Thus, it provides for the Elementary Public Schools, and declares that they shall be free to every youth in the land. Next it provides specifically for superior grades known as High Schools, and Collegiate Institutes, which shall form the connecting link between the Elementary Schools and the University, and declares that these Schools shall teach such higher subjects, and such higher subjects only as it prescribes. Lastly, it sets apart a liberal portion of the public domain for the maintenance of a Provincial College and University, (the functions of which are also defined by Parliament itself). These higher ...