EDUCATION IN WELLINGTON

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 100, 27 April 1917, Page 2

EDUCATION IN WELLINGTON

■■:" : > to TUB EDITOR. Sir,—ln Wednesday's • issue of your paper the Wellington Education Board is again bringing forward the teaching Conditions at the Wellington Technical 'College,:'and urges as a/preliminary step an immediate settlement of tho question of the site. Now, 85 a student of the Wellington .Technical College and one who has made iii thorough study of -town-' planning," I would: like; through your "columns; to place my views before the public. r:ln a .well-planned city the -whole of the,secondary: schools, the ".university, the. art gallery, the public library, and the museum should be grouped'together in an educational centre in close proximity to the civic centre. This, is only common-sense, for it will be seen at a glance 'that by this means greater efficiency would be obtained and better facilities would be available for combined effort than is now the case. Under our present system we have two State-subsi-dised secondary schools, the Wellington College and the Wellington Technical College. I wouH suggest that these two schools should be brought together and form the nucleus % . of an educational centre. This ''wi11.% no doubt receive a great deal of opposition, but the benefits far outweigh the objections. • . In the first place we'find a great deal of overlapping between the two schools, besides the great" inconvenience caused through having our educational forces divided. For instance,. both schools prepare (fcholaris for the same examinations. Such subjects as English, mathematics, science, etc., are taught in both schools, while such, subjects as drawing are not taught at the Wellington College, and the students of that college who wish to learn ■ drawing have to , attend thtf. Technical College on Saturday morning. This; is only one instance of many of the foolish and wasteful way in which we manage our secondary schools. The combining of these two schools would give tlie. students a. far greater range of subjects, and the subjects that are at present taught in both schools could be without extra expense divided up into, more grades,; and consequently greater efficiency wouldt result. Then there is another aspect of the case. At the- present time there is a great shortage'of good tradesmen and a great surplus of lawyer's clerks, etc. Why is this? It is because we fail to realise that a good tradesman is quite as valuable to the community as a lawyer, architect, or any other man belonging, to a. profession,.and both" should be placed on an equal footing. This will never come about while we have our schools divided into two classes, but by combining-the Wellington College and the . Technical^ College all the young people of the communjty will worl^, aijd play together, and so come to understandand help one another and to realise that their interests lie in common. , Now, as to the control of the combined school,.'l propose- that we should do away with our. present antiquated system and substitute a truly democratic system. Place the school under^the. control of a board consisting of ..three members' elected by the -teachers and four members elected by the general public. By "giving the teachers three representatives we would have the benefit of expert advice, and also ensure that the teachers get a square deal. .The other; four members could be 'balloted for at the City Council elections. , Thjs would ■ not only save the expense of a separate election, but would stimulate the interest taken in educational matters, and by the re-election of the board every two years would ensure that the men on the board looked after the interests of the community. Air of the ideas should be carefully considered before we decide on a site for the Technical College, and in ( view of the fact that in the near future we are likely to adopt compulsory secondary education, I feel that this matter could with benefit be thoroughly discussed. I am sure that if a scheme something on these lines was put into practice not. only would we get more efficient teaching but we would also find that the standard of our education would be greatly- raised.—l am, etc., , MONTGOMERIE BALLANTYNE. 26th April. .