"DISTINCTIONS CREATED"

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 198, 23 August 1928, Page 20

"DISTINCTIONS CREATED"

TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOLS. TEACHERS RESENT CHARGE. EXPLANATION DEMANDED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. "The institution of technical high schools, with the consequent development of another type of schooling, has further complicated the problem of postprimary education and, In addition, it has created among children distinctions which are educationally unsound and socially undesirable." This extract from the majority report of the Syllabus Revision Committee led to a strong protest from the Technical Education Conference to-day and was described as the statement of foolish or ignorant people. The chairman, Mr. H. S. W. King, said they would agree that such a damning phrase was very serious indeed. There was a certain amount of envy and jealousy that their type of education was prejudicing some of the older schools, which were more academic.

Mr. R. S. Page (Hawera) expressed the view that technical high schools were socially roost desirable, for they were all of one class and there was no snobbery.

The Chairman: It amounts to defamation of character, but you cannot place the responsibility on anyone. Supporting the protest, Mr. E. H. Andrews (Christchurch) said a number of boys and girls at school were square pegs in round holes, and did not get on, but on going to the technical college they received an education by which they found their level and made good. Such remarks as that made in the report detracted from th© whole value of the report and, in his eyes, discounted the value of other findings. Mr. G. T. London said he was one of the members of the Syllabus Revision Committee who prepared the minority report. Unfortunately there was too much of the academic schoolmaster on the committee and some 01 the other members found themselves not in harmony. For their own satisfaction they had to prepare the minority report, which he regretted had not been made the most of.

Mrs. Barrer: Social distinctions are founded on snobbery and are therefore despicable. The Syllabus Revision Committee is right in drawing attention to it. There seems to be a disposition in the room to despise academic education. (Voices: No. no.)

Mrs. Barrer proceeded to deplore the lack of connection between the technical school and the University, and urged more sympathetic co-operation. She said it was not so much a question of producing successful commercial and business men who could make money, as of turning out men and women whose lives would be of service in the community. The following motion was carried unanimously: "That the conference emphatically protests against the statement made in the report and asks that those responsible for such a statement should be asked for an explanation."