Legislative Assembly

the very young children where considerable research and development has been done in recent years. This is an area of education which goes under a number of different names but it all covers pretty much the same thing, whether referred to as Nursery Schools. Nursery Kindergarten. Pre-School Education, Pre-Primary Education and what have you. In Canada and in this province up to the present time it is pretty well taken the form of {rivate school instruction and the programs that have been developed vary consideral y in nature. Now there is not, Mr. Speaker, any complete agreement as to the necessity or the value of pre-school training for all children. It is true that such training makes a child perhaps more secure within himself and better prepares him for school and perhaps enables him to learn faster when he attends school. I think, Mr. Speaker, however that the main value of this program lies in the help that provides for those children who through a wide variety of eco- nomic and socialogical factors and through no fault of their own find themselves a little behind the other children when they approach the starting-line for their educa- tiohal work in Grade One. Our government, Mr. Speaker, is anxious to do something in this area of education and we have already made some moves in that direction. We have first of all provided a research grant for Rev. Owen Sharkey of St. Dun- stan's University and people associated with him who are making a study of pre- school development of intelligence. I understand that Father Sharkey is ready to present some very interesting results and statistics relating to the research project that he is carrying on. More recently a committee of teachers. educators, psycholo- gists and social workers has been set up by our Department to discuss this whole topic of pre-school education and in time advise the Government as what they con- sider the best policy to be followed for these younger children.

I would like to refer, Mr. Speaker, for a few moments to the great activity that there has been in the Department of Alcohol Studies and Physical Education in this province. I am told that the number of qualified physical education instructors is increasing constantly and at the present time there are forty such people — thirty male and ten female instructors — of these, seventeen have their degrees in physical educa‘inp. A most remarkable development over a relatively short period of time, and this expanding staff permitted 13,500 students in those schools that had the necessary facilities to have regular periods of instruction in physical education. The improvement in the calibre of athletes and athletic achievements in this province was demonstrated during the year, as athletes from this province won more than their share of honours in various hockey, track and field, basketball meets carried on in the Maritime provinces. Our Director tells me that this province was the only one among the Maritimes which was invited to send two athletes to the National Athletic Clinic in Alberta, and of particular interest in this area was the performance of one of our school teachers, Mr. Bob Simmonds, who on three occasions last summer broke Canadian records at hammer throwing.

Undoubtedly though the high-light of the year in physical education was the participation of one hundred and fifty athletes from this rovince in the first Cau- adian Winter Games at Quebec City. For the first time, r. Speaker, in our history Prince Edward Island athletes in large numbers had the opportunity of meeting with and competing with athletes from all the other provinces and territories of Canada. The dividends from this type of meeting are tremendous; not only do the competitor! gem rofit a great deal from competing against other young people, and in many cases

tter athletes, but through these acquaintanceships a better appreciation of our country as a whole and an understanding of other people, and other races in this great country are built up. As we all knowg the theme of the games at Quebec City this winter was “Unity Through Sport”. and I sincerely believe that great strides in this directiOn of unity and harmony, which we need so badly in this great country of Canada at this time, were achieved through having twenty-five hundred young Can- adian citizens meeting together in friendly competition.

It was my privilege and that of Premier Campbell’s, who I see on the opposite side'of the House at the present time, to be present at the games and we were very proud as we observed the fine performances pand perhaps more important the exem- plary conduct and the good behavior of all the young Prince Edward Island athletes. (Applause) I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, that they were a great credit to this prov- ince, and a great credit to the ppeo le who selected them and the people from the Department of Physical Fitness who directed their efforts.

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