TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 781, 2 April 1910, Page 12

TECHNICAL EDUCATION

A YEAR'S PROGRESS. '> . ,'' SUCCESSES OF .STUDEHTS. .; . At Wednesday night's meeting ■ ".ef tho Technical Education Board, th* director, Mr./ W. S. La. '.Trobe/'- •' presented his report for the year, The attendance at the Technical School during 1909, Mr. La.Trobe con' sidered to'- be on the whole satisfactory.- ; The total/inembers were in most classes as great as the room available would aU low. The average attendance was good, being somewhat better than in previous years', and the proportion of earnest students was also larger than usual, Tho . number of free places held at the school was greater than in former, years, but ; : the increase was confined to the evening classes. Owing to tho recent opening of other schools to free-place day students, the numbers at this 6chool had been affected to a slight degree, and probably would not settle down to normal condi. tions ;for a year or two. It was, however, abundantly evident that this school ;filled a real want in" the day educational, system as judged by parents and guard- v ians, and the success of old day Gtudente was a further justification of the exist '. •': ence of the classes. The.attendance' hi , junior free-place students between 14 and. 16 years of age, at evening classes should be discouraged as much as possible. Nuin. bers of these had "to resign their free places in consequence of over-strain, due to day and ■ evening work. Evidence o{ ; this over-strain was very strong in some of the classes. The difficulties of teaching were largely increased when student] came to class in a tired and unreceptivestate, and it was often impossible to in- ■ sist on home-work being adequately performed. I'urther experience made it very plain that two years in the junior day classes formed the best preparation for the evening trade classes. Many of tho best evening students : in the trade and applied art classes were drawn from those - wno had complated a.: preparatory •.• day, : course.' .■■ ■ ".'■• •" ■ ■■■,'■ ''■' ■ ' Classes and Students. ■ There were 3183 students enrolled in the '. -.- day clas6es, and 1263 in the night classes, . ... making a total enrolment of 4446 students. ' The average of the class entries in the different departments was as follows t-r" Day. Erenine. Total. Art ~..i.... 902 ' 169 1,071 Science: -.. 533 239 . ■ 77a Trades 15* ; 325 ,-: 479 Commerce, etc. . ;.. 1,373 488 1,861 • Domestic economy 221 .. .42: , : 283, . ::;■ Total'- ......i; 3,183 '. •:.,-1,263; : ..:..; , . 4,4*6,/.:'. ~' The art classes had been 'satisfactorily attended during the year, and marked ; progress had boen made by : the majority of the students. The. average ;quility of \: the work done was higher than. in the previous year, and gave promise-of goo 4 results as. time went" on. . ■■"■'- '.-■. . ■■; ■ .The science- and- mathematics classes had been well attended, largely :by students reading for Civil Service and Ms/ triculation examinations,' but a consider* able proportion of the .students were ap-r . prentices in the engineering and. building trades. ':.'.-:•' '...- .-. ~ ' Theclasses in electrical, engineering had; : been, strong, and good, work'was being done!. The institution'.of a Board of Control;; and .necessity;',for i passing, a ;.-. qualifying 'examination: : : before, being granted-a license/by. the City. Council to work' as.electric .wiiem'en and ; fitters had had-a good effect;- -The City Council conj ■ tributed- : a .'special grant- of -.£IOO to the .'; funds'of.these classes during .the'year, and.-- also ■ a special annual 'contribution :-■' 'of <350-* to assist'in running the cjassea. ; . In the mechanical engineering department steady progress had been main' tained. The need for sufficient labora-. Tory room and equipment was very great, Tho building trades classes maintained: ' their position. The'demand , for evening instruction in commercial work continued ; unabated, , - , and- ; the classes had .been large ' and successful' in all the subjects taken*: The continuation" classes in arithmetic, English, and Latin, were well attended, ' and good work was done," especially ia the Civil Service senior class in English, ./. in which, out of 35 candidates, 28 passed. : Domestic economy classes, had improved ' considerably in numbers,'and also—in— -A quality of work since last year.; A large.',! amount, of day work i : was done_ with;. I classes of girls from the commercial de-< i partment during the last.six months ofl i the year, with satisfactory : results. " •■; Examination Results. • j ■ The following awards were gained bjj, | students at the examinations held under, ; the auspices of the Board of Education, .■ subjects: Firsts, 16;: sec- . ouds, 51; failures, 27; total of candidates, • 94. ~ The-percentage of passes was:-Wei- j iinglon students, 71.2;- British students ■■;' (day and evening), 64.2. The successes for ?; the school were therefore r above the."aver- J,i age. .In science subjects, 14 firsts'and >' 4 seconds were gained. The' results in building construction • were .particularly satisfactory'. ■ .;. '•". .' - : .' \ In the British national competitione. ■ the only work sent was a set of ; draw- ; ings by S. H. Higgs, of the machine de- - sign class. These obtained a book prize, ■ and had they boen in the'form required ■; would probably, .'in the opinion, of , the i examiners, have : obtained a. medal., The :\ only.other award made outside the United ' Kingdom was a : commended ' certifi.;.; cate. " ."■'■■.' •■;. ■ ■ '•... ." •( ■ ■ r Only two medals were awarded in the ! City and Guilds Examinations to- can- i didates outside of Great. Britain,: and ( one of these was obtained by a Welling- [ ton plumbing student, C. H. Hooking.-A Ten candidate_s gained:'ordinary; passes : at these examinations, and one an honorary pass. The percentage of passes wa» ■■< thus 69, while the average for New: Zea; .-:: land was 64.7, and for the United King-.-.; dom- 58.4. •..-'■:. ■' ,/ '■ '

.':The;total successes.for the year in the ; .British,examinations"were, thus 109 passes-.; ias'-'agai'nst 07 in' the; previous, year. Iα ■] ithe' local • examinations in'plumbing, 1 electric wiring, and fitting, there were v 62 passes : in theory, 65in practice, and '■> -49 'certificates were: issued. .The passes ■ an'--the-'class examinations were.as fol-.'l •low -—First year, . lflO; ; second year,. 70; , ■ tliird year/ 17; fourth year,.l4; fifth year, J ■3;>-total,■■'■.Sβ!.-. Thirteen:;school .scholar- j ships and. numerous prizes .were.granted.; on the iresuUs. of; examination..- Fifty- j fWr. second, year free .students ivero re- j cpplraendeii for niid' were 'granted senior i free places," triable foiv three years. ~ .lii outside examinations, etc.; two candidates sent up for the associatcship cx■amination of the New. Zealand, Institute! of Accbuutants were both successful. At . the Jlanawatu ' show the school secured 28 first , prizes; 25 second; prizes, i- third prizes, 25 v.h.c; certificates,'and one h.c., of. '83 awards for -302'■ exhibits ; sent in. 'In .the .competitions' held by_ ■ ■the New Zealand Academy, of:-Fine Arts' ; for students the schopl' secured' elevea \ out of fifteen prizcsUy- ; ' '.'...-.. .. . : ;■ :Unsatisfacio;y .'.tcommodatio.t. . , . ! In, his.remarks bri the./buildings and ; equipment the director says ithey are in j the main thoroughly unsafisfactory,- It - ± '-i is hoped that the efforts to erect a build- :..: ing more in keeping with the importance 'i of the city be shortly ■ crowned, with : t success! When it is remembered, adds. ! Jtr. Lα Trobe, that the technical insti- \ tutions should provide instruction suit* ,' 1 able to the needs of about 90 per cent, ' ; of the young people of the country, it is j tit once obvious that an enormous dis- j proportion exists at the present tune be- . tween tho facilities available and tin .. real needs of the people. -The crying . need of the engineering building, de- ■■! partmeut is a good'mechanical .and ma. j terials laboratory. The school, also needs { a good heat and heat engines, kbora, tory, and satisfactory electncal and cleotrical engineering laboratories../ rb* .; Wellington City Council authorised % grant of J!100 to the electrical olassee, - which will be spent in special apparatus ' for these classes during the year. 1910. The staff, concludes Mr. La Trobe, .-; has worked well .during the year, and - the success of students in outade com. . Detitions and examinations', .is :■ largoly ; due to the skill and-care which th« j teachers have shown in performing theu ! The'financial statement for the'/yeat' ending on December 31 last showed a ', credit balance of .«557 35., tho'income i amounting to £8933 os. Id. The credit . balance at the beginning of the year was 2e. ■■".■ : ■'.■■•.•■•■ '•'.■■'<