Reply On Agricultural Education In Schools

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31588, 27 January 1968, Page 18

Reply On Agricultural Education In Schools

There had been" no official change in the Department of Education’s attitude on agricultural education in secondary schools, said the Superintendent of Education for the Southern Regional Office (Mr S. S. P. Hamilton) in answer to "Interested Parent,” a correspondent of “The Press.” “Interested Parent” said:

“Recently H. J. Metherell asked if the Education Department might set up a farm institute on the Rangiora High School farm but there has been no answer to his loner. Does the Education Department intend to establish farm institutes or does it intend to step up agricultural education in secondary schools? Or doesn’t anyone care about agricultural education except those who go to Lincoln? At present the only channel open to youths leaving secondary school is the Correspondence Institute in Wellington. If correspondence is the only solution why not provide for it in local centres such as Christchurch for Canterbury, Dunedin for Otago, etc. PreLincoln students have a tutor service available to them for two years so why can’t boys who want to be farmers have a similar provision? Could the Education Department indicate policy and Young Farmers’ Clubs their opinions on this subject.” In reply, Mr Hamilton said: “There has been no official

chjhge in ,;the department’s policy on agricultural education at secondary schools. However, increasing emphasis is now being placed on general education at the secondary level, with a corresponding decline in specific vocational training, which is seen as being more appropriate to the te-tiary stage of education.

“Applied to agriculture, this trend has caused courses in secondary schools to languish, as parents have seen the merits of a broader secondary education, even though their sons may well decide to take up agricultural careers, 1 ’ he said. “A farm institute is not part of the secondary school system. Basically, it is to agriculture what a technical institute is to other industries and to commerce, i.e. it provides post-secondary vocational training. However, the relationship is affected by the traditional provision of a range of courses by university colleges of agriculture. “In 1958, a consultative committee recommended the establishment of farm .institutes: but in the years following there was no clear agreement among those concerned that this should become the pattern of farm training. Even now the growth of voluntary cadet schemes points towards other ways of preparing for a career in farming. “At present there is only one farm institute, the Telford Institute at Balclutha, which has recently accepted an offer of Government aid towards its educational activities. “As to correspondence education in agriculture, nothing is lost by maintaining the centralised organisation. Indeed, this arrangement is more efficient and provides for a wider range of studies than Would one based on a number of smaller centres of correspondence instruction,” said Mr Hamilton.