EDUCATION MATTERS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17430, 15 April 1922, Page 16

EDUCATION MATTERS.

THE MINISTER'S INVESTIGATIONS The Minister of Education (the Hon. C. J. Parr) had his busy day on Thursday, when, apart from private interviews and departmental business, he was kept continuously in action from 9 a.m. until nearly 5 p.m. Sail at Bedcliffs. After having made arrangements with an unauthorised deputation for a later investigation of its grievances, Mr Parr received a deputation of Redcliffs residents, introduced by Mr J. McCcmbs, MJP. The question discussed was that of a public hall to form part of the school building. The Minister, is was contended, had previously approved tlie_ suggestion for such a community hall, attached to the sc; 001. The sum of £4OO had been raiied by the residents for the project, for which .a £ for £ subsidy had been promised. The Minister was asked to approve the plans for the hall, to wh'ch certain a.te'ftions from the original had been maae.

The Minister expressed the opinion that the experiment was a good one He would, he said, agree to the alterations, which <jhi?fly comprised the putting in of a heating apparatus at a cost of £-50, and said that he would ask the Education Board to make the work an urgent one, that it might 1)6 gone on with at once. East Chxlstchurch Requests. After having met the Canterbury Education Bourd, the Minister jpaid a visit to the East Christchurch school, where the committee suggested that the pupils now in the upper part of the main building should be transferred to the lower floor, and that the upper nortion should be transformed into a district high school. An urgent request was also made, that the Department should not carry out its intention to abolish the infant school, changing the wh'ile school into a mixed school. Various reasons were advanced why the infant school should remain as it was at present. •; Having made a thorough inspection of the whole school. Mr Parr siid that he would <*o into all the matters that •had been brought before him. < The Technical College.

In the afternoon, Mr Parr paid a visit to the Technical College, where he was met bv Jfr C.- H. Opie (chairman of the Bo*rd of Governors), Dr. D. E. Hansen (director), and members of the Board. .. Mr Opie said that the greatest trouble a.t the r.re-ent time was the class-rooms. Sir Francis Bell had granted a sum of £3500 for workshops, but that was onite separate from the class-rooms. Tt was then proved to Sir Francis that additional accommodation was necessary, and he lfad sanctioned the erection of two extra_ rooms. Since then the attendance had increased by 400, so that extra room was more necessary than ever. The college was now the larpest of its kind in New Zealand, and had 2300 piipils, of whom 630 were day pupils. Now, however, according to the Department, the college had all the accommodation .that was necessary, and the Department had therefore declined, after holding the matter ur> for five months, to finance the erection of the two extra roomsthat the Board had received tenders for. The Board was anxious to have the new work ra tjoned Dr. Hansen exp uned his difficulty in regard to accommodation, 9ta-ting that some pupils wore 1 instructed in tno workshops when they should be in class-rooms, while he' Ihad had to uecline to admit any more pupils for certain classes owing to the lack or room. Mr Parr promised thnt he would look into the matter at the .first possible opportunity. He then visited tli© workshops, and expressed'himself'as larly pleased at the maner in which instruction was being given.

Domestic Science, A visit was next paid to the Beckenhnm School, wflien the visitors included the Mayor and Mrs Th acker, and th© president \Mr G. W. Armitage) and meirib.srs of t)ie Education Board. the presence of the scholars, _ iJr. Thackor presented to Miss Phyllis 3lnrshall a gold brooch awarded for dome tic science, Dr. Thacker having given prizes for domestic science to the various schools in 'hie electorate, a» .well as ft challenge trophy. ' * ~ . After Mr Armitage had given a brier address, Mr Parr, congratulated Dt. Thacker on his encouragement of such an important branch of education sCS domestic science, and said that ii education could make the girl a. good home-keeper it would fulfil its highest function ae far as the girl was concerned. He sincerely hoped that in the new in tne course from 12 to 16 years, the girls would give quite half i. their time to domestic science, as was I done in Victoria. With the other hair devoted to English, arithmetic, bookkeeping, etc., the course would train the girl to be a proper housewife and in intelligent companion for her huv band. The importance of dolrneS.tio science could not be stressed too much, and it would be a.' good thing for the country if ether Mayors followed Dt. Thacker's example. On the c:ill of the headmaster (Mi* A. 0. Maxwell) hearty cheers were given for the Minister, the Mayor, arid the Education Board. The need for an extra room was impressed upon Mr Parr, who agreed to consider the matter. W.E.A. The afternoon concluded with a visit to the W.E A. Rooms, wihere th© working of the W.E.A. was explained to Mr Parr by Mr E. J. Howard, M.P., and Mr G. Manning (secretary of the W.E.A.). The Minister showed great interest in the programme and general conduct of the Association, and remarked that the various courses fthowed that the public idea that the Association practically confined itself to industrial psychology and economics; was quite a wrong one. All lie Could say was that <he wished it were "more wrong." Instruction in the "three R's" was what was needed for those who had never had a chance. Mr Howard said that the W.E.A. did not touch that class of work, which wai done by the Technical Colege. He also stated tihat the students were e-stntinlly students and not critics, w;iile tlie mixed nature of the classes made it impossible for them to be used for propagandavpurposee, which charge was often laid against the Association. The subjects of the popular lectures the Minister pronounced to be splendid, and he expressed a desire to attend one of the classes, when opportunity offered, to see their practical working. He also remarked that he would be very pleased'to give an address on th© occasion of some future visit. He had, he added, always beon a believer in the continuation of adult education, and he thought that it was eminently the function' of the Universities to get in touch with, and provide material for, the W.E.A.