TRAINING/TEACHERS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 104, 29 October 1913, Page 10

TRAINING /TEACHERS

IMPORTANT STAGE REACHED NEW TRAINING COLLEGE. FOUNDATION STONE LAID. Another stage in the very important work of /training our public school teachers was reached yesterday with the laying of the foundation stone of the .new Teachers' Training College at Kelburne. The ceremony was performed by the Hon. A. L. Herdman, and among those present were : the chairman of the Education Board (Mr. R. Lee), who presided, the Hon. G. Fowlds (ex-Mininster for Education), Mr. G. Hogben (In-spector-General of Schools), Mr. G. M. Thomson, M.P., members of the Wellington Education Board, and students of the present Training College. An apology for absence was received from the Mayor of Wellington, Mr. J. P. Luke. In his speech, Mr. Lee said that the Education Department had wisely established four institutions for the training of teachers — men and -women. Already there were three buildings, at Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin, and the building which they were now commencing would complete the scheme. The building of which they were laying the foundation-stone was one of three buildings which would be erected on the site. The site was not very presentable at the present time, but he hoped it would be greatly improved. HISTORICAL OCCASION. They had really come to the final stage in the history of the training of teachers in Wellington. On 28th October, 1881, exactly 32 years ago to the day, he had examined for the first time the start made for the training of teachers in this city. The Thorndon School was used, and the master was Mr. Mowbray. There were eleven students. Two of these held Education Board Scholarships, and the other nine paid fees. This institution was not dignified by tho name of Training College, but was called the Normal School. They had a "normal master" and a "normal mistress" (Mrs. Griffin). Other teachers visited the institution 'periodically. Amongst these were the two Misses Holmes, of South Kensington, London, who held classes in drawing, and practically laid tho foundations of the present Wellington Art School. Tho aim of the Training College was to give to every teacher a complete equipment for life. Everyone who knew anything at all about the teachers, knew that the difference between the competent teachor and the incompetent was the difference between plus and minus. Tho essential factor in tho whole education scheme was that the tea-cher should be well trained for his work. There were three essentials. The first was that he must have knowledge. The second was that he mnst have personality. He must be able to exercise such an interest on the young that they could be' almost "mind to mind with him. The third essential was skill. If they were to have skill they must have adequate' training colleges. Tho building which they were then commencing would serve not only for the present, but for the future, for it should, be good for another 100 years at least. They must set as their aim that every toacher who went out into the utmost back-blocks should bo " efficient and thoroughly "up to," his work. Concluding, Mr. Lee said that a man was a iool who did not learn something every day, no matter how long he lived. Mr. W. H. Bennett, who is the contractor for the erection of the structure, said it was typical of the fine buildings that were now being erected in this country for educational purposes. Wellington up to the present time had been very backward in this respect. He was very pleased to see, however, that with the erection of the first building of this block the Wellington Board was entering upon a stage of building construction which would last a great numbei" of years. Incidentally, Mr. Bennett mentioned as an instance of the progresß inour city that both the architect and builder of the present structure were born in Wellington. (Applause.) In laying the stone, the Hon. A. L. Herdman apologised for the absence of the Minister of Education, the , Hon. James Allen, who was away owing to illness. Continuing, Mr. Herdman expressed his pleasure that the authorities had seen fit to select the heights of Kelburne upon which to build such an important institution. As a resident of Kelburne, he was greatly interested in this part of the city, and he was astonished how rapidly the district had grown in the last few years. • Eighteen months ago one could have looked down this hollow (indicating the big stretch of land between the tramway terminus and the site of the college) and not see a single building. Now there were scores, and there was not an empty house in the district. INTERESTING HISTORY. In an interesting resume of the history of the training college movement in New Zealand, the Minister said that in the year 1903 there were in New Zealand only two training colleges for teachers — namely, the Chrietchurch and Dunedin Normal Schools — and the number of students at the end of the year was 45. The amount voted for the training of teachers was £1000. In that year the Education Committee of the House of Representatives recommended that there should be four training colleges, one at each of the four centres, and that the work should be coordinated with that of the university colleges as far as possible. The grants were increased to £1400. In 1904 the committee reaffirmed its resolutions, and regulations weredrawii up, providing allowances for students as at present. Provision was to be made for 80 students at each college, or 320 in all. The vote was increased to £5400; the number of students at the two training colleges was 97. In 1905 Parliament voted money for the conversion of Wellesley-street School, Auckland, and the Thorndon School, Wellington, into Normal Schools and Training Colleges, and they were accordingly opened in the beginning of 1906. The vote for training colleges in 1905-6 had grown to £8000. In the year 1905. then, a real start had been "made with the Training Colleges ; the number of students at the end of the year was 216. The amount expended on training colleges for the year 1906-7 was £22,577. The maximum number of students allowed to be admitted was increased from 80 to 100 at each college, ■or 400 in all; this year it was again increased — namely, to 125 at each college, or 500 in all. The number of students in attendance at all four colleges during the last quarter of 1912 was 398. The amount expended last year (including half the salaries of the staffs, the other half being charged to elementary education) was nearly £30.000, and this year the expenditure is expected to reach £33,000. The chief alterations in the regulations have been made with the view of providing short courses for university graduates and for those who have taken previous courses in agriculture and home science, and also ol giving greater variety of practice. THREE BLOCKS OF BUILDINGS. Continuing, the Minister said that moreover, it was found that the cost of re-creating the graining College and

Normal School at Thorndon, with the price that would have to be paid for additional land, wonld be very little different from the cost of the new Training College and Normal School at Kelbuine, if the fact that in any case a school would be required at Kelburne was taken into account. Accordingly, in 1910, Cabinet gave a grant of £4000 for the site; additional sections have since been added at a cost of £1325, so that the total site is of quite respectable dimensioas, although perhaps not ideal. The situation, too, does not lack dignity. There will be three principal blocks of buildings; the main part of the Normal School and the infant school on the west or left-hand side of Kowhai-road, and the Training College on the east or right-hand side. The infant school is to be erected first; for that Government gave last year a grant of £4370. Competitive designs were called for the whole group of buildings. The winning design was that of Mr. W. Gray Young, of Wellington. The infant school, besides affording practice for the students, will fill a much-needed want in Kelburne. The next matter to be considered in connection with the college is the building of the students' portion, or Training College proper (estimated to cost about £9000). This matter was now under the consideration of the Government, and he hoped that the much-needed want for a training college in the City of Wellington would be provided for when the Government was preparing its Estimates for the next year or the year after. (A voice : Next year !) A COUNTRY OF OPPORTUNITIES. Another speaker was Mr. J. S. Tennant, principal of the Teachers' Training College, who in an interesting dissertation, addressed particularly to the students assembled, remarked that New Zealand was a wonderful country for opportunities, and these opportunities were coming through the schools. Those concerned with education hoped to add to the students' efficiency in their profession by means of this institution. In these days when so much was heard about increased remuneration for teachers he wished to take the opportunity of saying that upon themselves rested the opportunity of showing the public that they were worth money, as they undoubtedly were. (Applause.) He hoped that the residents of Kelburne would be so proud of this handsome addition to their architecture that they would show their practical sympathy and appreciation by co-operating in any work undertaken to beautify the site of the college. The grounds were well-endowed with natural beauties, which would require the expenditure of a considerable amount of hard work and money to mako the place the site it ou^ht to be. Concluding, Mr. Tennant said he hoped to prove to the residents of Kelburne that the Normal School was not only a place for experimenting with their children, but that the children besides being really interested in their work would obtain at least the same amount of education, and he hoped, more than they would get at ordinary schools. Mr. G. Hogben, Inspector-General of Schodls, congratulated the district of Wellington and the whole of New Zealand upon having reached another stage in the very important work of training our teachers. Those present at the function were subsequently entertained at afternoon tea in the Kelburne Kiosk by the members of the Education Board.