The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-03-22


700 2,4O6 2,443 2,OS6 1898 1865
It will be seen from the above table
that even the number IL years old ex-
ceeds the number at the legal age of
entering; yet six years previous, when
these 12-year olds should have entered
school, the school population as whole
was less than three.fourths as numerous
as in 1910. eve have no figures to
show the number six years old in 1904.)
Late Beginners.
This indicates that perhaps so per
cent of our school children enter school
not at six, as the law provides, but at
ages ranging from to IL. In fact it
is no uncommon thing for child to
come struggling into school at 10, IL or
even IA years of age with no excuse
whatever except that she had been an
asset at home as baby-tender. L say
she advisedly, since education is by
some nationalities considered wasted on
girls and they are more often kept at
home than boys. Indeed glance at
the table above will show that there
are about 1000 less girls than boys en-
rolled IN our puDnc schools.
1t must be evident to all that this
tremendous leakage at the entering
class. leakage for which the teachers
are in no way responsible, must mill
tate tremendously against the effici-
ency of our school system in its efforts
to advance pupils from grade to grade
For before these belated pupils are able
to reach anything higher than the fourth
grade, they are released by law to swell
the HOOD OF the practically llhterate
graduates OF our schools:
OF course when we are an converted
TO the beilef IN grading children accord
ing to age rather than attainment, we
snail put the raw recruit OF IL years
TOT high sehool IN Two years. Ihen TINS
apparent loss az tne entering ciass VIII
resolve user INTO an economic gam.
But some OIL us are old-tashloned ana
fore we begin the roof.
1o,,,o A,.;
AS there is an alarming amount of
leakage at the intake, so there seems
to be n mysterious absorption toward
the end of the line.
As will be seen from the above table,
the number of children 10 years old in
the public schools in 1910 was 2443,
while at the same time there were only
1874, IA years of age. We have no
figures to show the number 10 years
old in 1906, when these 1874 were of
that age, but the school population as
n whole was only 20 per cent less in
1906 than in 1910.
This would indicate that there is n
serious leakage in our school popula-
ton of some 80 per cent between the
ages of 10 and ID.
This, if true, is most alarmiug. and
the fact that this mysterious Gisap-
pearance occurs lust at the age when
the labor of the children would begin
to be an asset commercially, is an in
dication that these figures. ut least, do
not lie.
AT Both Ends.
Evidently our attendance ean6I-to
change the flgure-ls burning ltseif
GO at tbo bns;ness end. FOR tbo wori
doro il, tba Last fonr voars nrovidaa tho
child had entered school at six years of
age, should be the crowning work of his
school life. In the natural conrse Of
events. then. were these children kent
in school mn to the ACE of Il nc the
law provides. our Grammar GRADES
would make n much better showing.
How all these children slim tbroTgb
our fingers is mystery in view of the
facts that blanks are provided all school
principals. for dismissals with return
Sins to be filled ont bv the PRINCIPAL
of the school TO which the child Is sent
Probably If the trnth were known
there are TOO many releases Granted 10
other schools that are NOT foIIoxed nm
to see If the nnniIs are enrolled Il
Is ALWAYS safe IN send note 70 +be