TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17062, 5 February 1921, Page 5

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

I NEW REGULATIONS CRITICISED. i _ | "The regulations gazetted recently by j the Education Department, following on the legislation of 1920," said I*-Ir C. h. : Opie, chairman of the Christchurcn ! Technical College Board of Governors ! at its meeting la.^-night, "are to have j a far-reaching effect on technical edu- ! cation, and the position is one that j requires" close attention from all who 1 Invo its development at heart One or I the most important, parts of tne legisiai tion deals with the grading of teaeheis, i but this has been carried out with such ! stran«o results, not only here in Curisti church, but in all other parts ot .NewZealand, that the effect will be to produce mucli discontent among the tcacnIma staffs. Accountants, students from | Otago University School of Home i faience, engineers, and others, have bsen clashed as professional teachers, in a number of cases rightly so but not I i'hvavs-f On the otlier hand, the holders ! of teachers' certificates as high as class I "C " even with long teaching experi- ; eiuv. are placed in the general diviI sidn It is another remarkable tact ! that in order to I*s classified as a proi torsional teacher, it would appear that I one should have had experience outside of the teaching profession. Ihe meUio-l of classifration gives little encouragement to teachers with primary school experience to take up the teaching ot ™iWal subjects in technical schools, iinTess they are the holders of university i of the treatment lof tea-hcrs holding university deI <rrees stating that the College lnstruei tors had to work 58 hours a week, whereas in primary and secondary ! schools thev seldom worked beyond 2o I hours. In the case of the College, the teaching hours had been increased by i percent!, and in some cases the salaries hid not been increased. In calculating tho number of teachers, the Department took tho roll number two months after the Technical High School opened, which was » distinct, fnjustice, and should be taken at least a montn "The Department,' 1 he said, ''lias adhered to its proposal to grant for incidental expenses only 26 per cent, of the teachers' salaries, and it is doubtful how far this will enable the Board to earn- on its present activities. At tho same, time, contributing bodies wore being discouraged through, the withdrawal oi'°their right to representation on the Board of .Managers. It would haveboon impossible for this Board to bring tho school to its present honourable position without the hearty support that has been accorded it in tho past, not only from bodies and societies in Christehureh, but also from many jwrts of North Canterbury. Tho building of our hostel and the provision of our playing fields, would havo been out of the question but for outside assistance, and their maintenance, is now being made the matter of extreme difficulty. These changes in administration are all encroaching seriously on tho Board's power, largely by the insidious method of legislation by regulations, and it should be resisted to the utmost of our power, otherwise the Board's functions may be reduced to* a serious extent. The whole-hearted support of tho public must bo solicited, and encouraged, if the success attending our efforts in the past is to be maintained, and the tendency to centralis© all power in Wellington must be checked. The present Minister of Education has expressed his desire to encourage local interest in education, biit the legislation emanating from his Department is having- the opposite effect." Mr H. It. Rusbridge moved: "That a letter be sent to the Minister of Education, embodying the Board|s emphatic protest against the narrowing of the Board's powera, and also pointing out that the recent regulations are inimical to tho welfare of tho College, and asking for their' amendment. ,A. copy of this resolution to be sent to managers of technical schools throughout the Dominion." Mr "VY. Jones seconded the motion, which waa supported by the Hon. J. Barr and others. It was agreed to unanimously.