TECHNICAL COLLEGE ACCOMMODATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 43, 20 February 1926, Page 15

TECHNICAL COLLEGE ACCOMMODATION.

j (To >the Editor.) ; Sir, —A few. days ago, great concern I was expressed in your columns in con- | nection with the overcrowded state, of j tbe Auckland Technical College, it he- ' ing urged that steps be taken to ap- i proach the Minister in an endeavour to ! hasten the building of additional class;; ] rooms for the accomodation of student& { Now, sir, public money has been spent 1 lavishly in Auckland of late years on ] buildings for the purpose of education, ] and it seems that the head of a large ; school has only to ask for extensive I additions to his school, and no one may cay him nay. v Where there is real need for additional buildings, there would be ' no one who could reasonably object, but j in view of tbe recent warnings in the j j Press on the economic outlook, I think i; it is the duty of the Minister to safe- : guard the public funds as far ac possible, i The purpose of the Technical College is r to give technical instruction to students I, and prepare them for the trades and i industries rather than the professions. If the activities of the college were conj- ■ fined to this, the purpose for which 4t j was built, there would be ample accommodation for the students requiring admission. Instead of this, I find that at least one-third and .probably one-half are receiving what amounts to a purely secondary education, which is amply provided for at our Grammar Schools, and which should, not be included in the_ curriculum of. a, school provided solely for technical education. The classes referred to above are the, science, domestic science, commercial and industrial classes. The commercial and industrial courses could be taken , advantageously ; at the Grammar Schools by providing typewriters and a teacher for the one or two special commercial, subjects not already in the curriculum. The cookery and dressmaking classes for domestic science, are already provided for at the Grammar Schools. I am, etc., ' ■ ',„ /, v , TECHNICOS. • .-