AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 11, 13 July 1909, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

NOT MADE SUFFICIENT USE OF. j The Minister for Education (Hon. G. Fowlds) was at Hamilton last week, and whilo theie spoke his official mind to a repiesentativo of the YVnikato , Times on education matters in general and agricultural instruction in particular. The Minister sa.id he was sorry to find that the special classes arranged for under the provision of the Manual and Technical Instruction Act were not taken fuller advantage of by the sons of fanners. In 1906, said Mr. Fowlds, there were 253 agricultural classes and two dairying classes, the rate per class being £9; in 1807 the number had increased to 398 i'or agriculture and 26 for dairying, with the rate at £7 3s; and in 1908 there were 461 and 38 dosses respectively, wiih the ralt> per class at £4 12s. School agricultural classes had now been established in v every education district, but the classes in dairying wove practically confined to two districts —Taraaaki and Wiuiganui. With the exception of teachers' training classes in agriculture, and technical classes i'or wool-soiting, little progress had been made in the matter of technical classes for instruction in agriculture. In certain districts endeavours had been made to establish such classes, but in most cases the classes had not received much suppoit. The Minister added that, with a view to encourtfging agricultural instruction in district high schools (most of which wore rural schools), the regulations for manual and technical instruction, now provided for .a special capitation payment of £5 10s per annum i'or each pupil who attended regularly an approved course of agricultural instruction for not less than twenty hours a week regularly throughout the , school year. This payment was in addition to all other payments made to district high schools, in accordance with the Act. Two only, of all tho secondary schools, so far as the department was aware, could be said to give prominence in their curriculum to agriculture. These were the Gisborne and the Palmorston North High Schools. Fifty-one of the 9U9 U native village schools, concluded Mr. Fovdds,, have gardens for instruction in agriculture.