James Ernest Strachan
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James Ernest Strachan OBE |
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Strachan in c.1948
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| Born |
20 April 1883 Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Died | 30 September 1973 (aged 90) Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Alma mater | University of Otago |
| Title | Principal of Rangiora High School |
| Term | 1917–1948 |
| Predecessor | Thomas R. Cresswell |
| Successor | J. F. Moffat |
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James Ernest Strachan OBE (20 April 1883 – 30 September 1973) was a New Zealand educator. He was born in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1883. He was the principal of Rangiora High School from 1917–1948, during which time he abolished corporal punishment and the prefect system and introduced the school council, among others.
In 1903, he entered the Dunedin Training College. He also took classes at the University of Otago, graduating MA with honours in mental science in 1905.
From 1906–1910, he was assistant master in the secondary department of Lawrence District High School, and from 1911–1917, he was science master at Gore High School.
In 1917, Strachan was appointed principal of Rangiora High School, from where he was able to complete a BSc at Canterbury College (now called the University of Canterbury) in 1921. During his time as principal, he gave more emphasis to existing courses in agriculture, home science and commerce to supplement the traditional professional courses. In 1926 he introduced his 'organic curriculum', which included a central core of science, technology, fine arts and sociology. It was, in part, intended to inculcate social skills such as critical thinking and citizenship. He abolished the prefect system and introduced a school council, which included student representatives. Corporal punishment was replaced by an emphasis on self-discipline. In 1930, he abolished the prize system.
Strachan's innovations inevitably encountered opposition. Working-class parents objected to students being encouraged to remain in school, as they wanted their children to become wage-earners as soon as possible. For other parents, good examination passes in subjects such as Latin were seen as passports to tertiary education and to white-collar occupations. Some chose to send their children to school in Christchurch. Hostility also came from officials within the Department of Education. Strachan, however, gained the support of Prime Minister William Massey, who visited the school in 1920, and of ministers of education such as C. J. Parr and Harry Atmore. His reforms were endorsed by a royal commission in 1925; a consultative committee in 1943 recommended that Strachan's system should form the basis of the post-primary curriculum. In the 1947 New Year Honours Strachan was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
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