New education dept foreseen

Press, 15 June 1979, Page 14

New education dept foreseen

A Department of Continuing Education will probably be established in the 1980 s to oversee technical institutes and and teachers’ training colleges, according to the director of the Christchurch Technical Institute (Mr J. D. A. Hercus). In a report entitled "The Role of Technical Institutes in the 1980 s,” Mr Hercus said that a lack of curriculum research and development, staffing, and resources were big weaknesses in the continuing-education section of the Education Department. The Education Amendment Act, 1974, had changed the definition of a technical institute from giving technical education to giving continuing education. But initiative had to be taken to ensure that the public was aware what the institute offered. New courses had to be arranged before and not after the need for them had arisen. The new role of technical institutes was to meet individual rather than technical needs so that people could

develop their abilities at their own pace. Mr Hercus criticised the importance of secondary education to employers. He said that at its worst it was a "subtle prejudice” against people with less secondary schooling when their level of education was of no consequence in the job they had chosen.

He also criticised a practice of technical institutes to deny non-apprentices entry into some trade-skill and theory courses. This policy did not make sense because the people who were denied entry to the courses often ended up in the same job anyway.

Limited access to courses because of discrimination of various kinds was a problem. Some people were discriminated against on grounds of age and others could not sit some exams because they were not enrolled at the institute. A person could prepare himself for examinations in other ways in his own time and ana his right to do so had to be upheld and promoted.