TECHNICAL AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 182, 31 July 1908, Page 3

TECHNICAL AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

OVERLAPPING AND COMPETITION. At yesterday's meeting of the Auck- j land! Grammar School, reports from the headmaster (Mr. J. W. Tibbs) and headmistress (Miss Whitelawl of the Auckland Grammar School were read, replying to the questions raised in the letter from the Inspector-General of Schools published iv our issue of yester- I day. The Headmaster stated in his report, that all the subjects suggested by the Inspector-General, as forming an effici- i cient course in preparation for a course in commercial instruction at technical j schools were, with the exception of history, precis writing and correspondence, taught already in the two commercial forms at the school; and the subjects not now taken might easily be added l if required. The removal of the girls' school to its new building next year would enable the school to accommodate an increased number of boys, and to give more space and make better provision for commercial teaching than could at present be spared. For instance, they had a fairly large nucleus for a museum of commercial products, which was waiting for enlarged space to grow into a valuable adjunct to this department of their work. And he proposed to ask the Board, at the end of the year, for assistance towards the establishment of a , school library. Those two additions to '■ the equipment would help to place their ' commercial department more on a level with their science side, for which new laboratories were built by the Board j when the free pupils were first admitted. I -For-some time it had seemed to him' that there was a danger that much of the country'si on education; might be wasted by the competition and overlapping oi the several grades of , schools now established. And in particu- :' lar in the matter of commercial educa- i tion he was convinced that if the general. preparatory education of all boys and j girls who held junior free places were I left to the secondary schools and the special technical instructions left to the technical schools, there would ensue not only a saving in cost and increase of efiiciency, but such a concentration of effort that would lead to a remarkable improvement in the standard of commercial knowledge and practice throughout the Dominion. The headmistress reported that the first course would necessitate a mistress for commercial subjects being added to the staff. The second would mean that the new school must be provided with a room fitted up for practical cookery— as had already been contemplated—and also a trained mistress with oualificatious for teaching hygiene, dressmaking and cookery on sound scientific lines. She was almost certain that such a mistress could not be secured in New Zealand. Before fitting up the room or advertising such a post, she would like to have some assurance from the Inspector-General that they would get as pupils all those children who intended to take up their free places. They would then have some idea of the numbers for whom to provide, and could better decide upon the staff necessary to cope with the enlarged curriculum. Mr. Tole remarked that it would involve some expenditure. J - a The Chairman said that the difficulty was the overlapping of work in the secondary and technical schools. The technical schools carried on a large amount of what was purely secondary school work. Dr. Robertson said that he was almost surprised at the letter. He had always understood that it was the custom of technical schools certainly not to limit the subjects, but instead, to take two extra subjects so that pupils could continue their general education. Professor Thomas said he took it that what the Inspector-General referred' to was that pupils went into the technical schools too early for their general education. It would be better if pupils had a preparatory general education at the : secondary schools. The Chairman thought it would be better to forward the reports of the Headmaster and Headmistress to the In-spector-General in Wellington. That was the best reply they could give to the questions asked, and this was the course decided upon.