TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 110, 11 May 1926, Page 8

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

CONFERENCE TEACHERS. THE PRESTDENT-AL ADDRESS. SOME IMPORTANT ASPECTS. JUNIOR "TECHS'' AND LEAVING CERTIFICATES. Some important aspects of tpclinicil education in New Zealand and its worth to the community, and also the handicaps under which this branch of education has suffered in the past and continues to labour under to some extent at the present time, were dealt with in hi 9 address at the annual conference in Wellington to-day by the president oi the Technical School' Teachers' Association. Mr. G. .L Park, of Auckland. The president opened his address by Speaking of the value of conferences of principals and teachers engaged in the technical branch of the education service, que effect being the systenuitising of the effort of workers in that hranch of the service throughout the Dominion. After reference to the change in the Ministry Mr. Park went on to deal with the report of Mr. Frank Tate and the University Commission.

"The most important recommendation made by Mr. Tate," said the president, "is that primary education, as such, should end with the completion of Standard IV. Mr. Tate recommends that pupils prepared to undertake a full secondary course of four years (or six years for those going on with University courses) should be admitted at once to post-primary schools. Some pupils will not be prepared to nndertake full secondary courses after passing Standard IV., and for these Mr. Tate recommends courses of a different nature from those of the secondary schools. Such courses should be provided in the junior high schools, in junior technical schools or in special schools for domestic arts. In New Zealand we have established a few junior high schols of varying natures to suit the needs of different districts. Not much difference of opinion in respect to these has been expressed; they are on trial. It is only in respect to proposals 'for the extension of the junior high school system that difference of opinion has arisen." <, Leaving Certificates Urged. " "In the smaller centres, there is little idifficulty for there all po»t primary •ducation will be provided in one school IWith diversified courses of instruction And co-educational in character. These schools are already found in many of the smaller technical high schools. Unfortunately, at present, the matriculation examination syllabus . provides a qualifying test only for general course students p.nd prevents these schools from serving the community as efficiently an ■would be the case if a secondary school leaving certilicate examination gave equal status to the students from all courses. These schools should be classified as. high, schools and should conduct any evening, classes, required in the district." ~ In centres where secondary and technical schools exist side by side, the secondary school?, are older" and technical schools have been developed to provide for those not desiring to follow the courses of the secondary schools. When free secondary education was provided twenty years ago the courses in secondary schools were not broadened sufficiently, nor dil they provide evening classes in continuation of their dayCourses. Consequently technical schools came into existence first to provide evening classes, and later to provide day courses preliminary to those of the evening schools. If there is overlapping it is partly because the secondary schools have now provided vocational courses similar to those of the technical schools, and partly because the Education Department lias not provided qualifying certificates for vocational course students nor considered their interests when drawing up' syllabuses for scholarship and other public examinations. The Junior High Problem. The problem of arranging the junior high school system so that it will fit in With our existing educational system is the chief problem to-day. Auckland •x-perience shows that the junior high gchool as a separate school has difficulty ill articulating properly with the senior tchools, secondary and technical. It •eems necessary that each senior school •faould have a junior school incorporated in it or attached to it and controlled by the same board. If junior high schools are attached only to the senior -ligh schools and not to the technical schools, the day technical schools will, in time, cease to exist, and evening technical schools could hardly be continued except by the high schools. In my opinion, the best method of putting the system gradually into operation would be to permit each secondary or technical school to have a junior high or junior technical school attached to it. Objections have been made to junior technical Echools on the ground that class distinctions would arise through their existence side b side with junior high schools. If there be class courses of education, they exist because the domination of the matriculation examination has caused them. This domination of the University entrance examination is undoubtedly due to the delay of the Education Department in providin"standard syllabuses and examinations for the pupils from all secondary and technical school courses. If school leaving certificates of equal value were provided for courses of the same length! completed in either technical high°or high schools, any tendency towards class distinctions in respect to schools would rapidly disappear. In view of the adoption of junior technical schools in so many parts of the world, I feel that the Education Department should be urged strongly to incorporate junior technical schools in the i technical schools, particularly in those ! towns where it is proposed to attach | junior high schools to the senior high! schools. If this be not done, the technical school in such towns will disappear and the whole of the post-primary education will be given in the high schools. This would necessitate the high school conducting evening classes- for apprentices and tra'!e workers. Technical school administrators found out Ion? ago that evening schools could not be efficiently coi-'ductcd without a fairly complete staff of full-time teachers. Technical work, proper, is done only in evening classes, but preliminary work must be done and is now being done in the technical high schools.

In my op ; nion. the secondary schools have many distinct advantages over the newer technical schools, and the time is opportune for a strong demand for equal opportunity for all schools, particularly since Mr. Tate has clearly indicated that the chief weakness in our education system has been the neglect of technical education proper. I wish, therefore, to direct attention to the advantages at present enjoyed by secondary schools in comparison with the technical schools.