Doubts on concurrent courses

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32637, 19 June 1971, Page 18

Doubts on concurrent courses

Doubts that concurrent Technical Institute senior secondary-school courses were feasible were expressed yesterday by the president of the New Zealand Post - Primary Teachers’ Association (Mr J. D. Murdoch), in commenting on a statement made this week by the Minister of Education (Mr Taiboys). Mr Murdoch was commenting on a statement made this week by the Minister of Education (Mr Taiboys).

In an interview with “The Press,” Mr Taiboys had agreed that concurrent courses were a “possibility.” “I cannot see the need for

senior pupils to undertake concurrent study at Technical Institutes any more than I can see the need for concurrent courses with universities, schools of nursing, or teachers’ colleges,” Mr Murdoch said. But it was • obvious that there existed a need for senior pupils to be made more fully aware of the opportunities being offered by New Zealand’s 10 technical institutes, Mr Murdoch said. “I certainly support the setting up of special posts for Technical Institute liaison officers,” he said. Secondary schools themselves would also need to play a much bigger part in

providing more educational and vocational information and guidance, he said. “Our secondary schools are concerned with the heavy demands at present being placed on senior students, many teachers being convinced that sixth-formers should spend more time on non-ex-aminable and non-vocational subjects,” Mr Murdoch said. He expressed some doubt that present secondary-school courses led equally well on to technical institutes as they did to universities.

“But I don’t agree that concurrent technical institutesenior high school courses provide any answer to the problem,” Mr Murdoch said.