MINING FACULTY'S VIEWS

Evening Star, Issue 18999, 22 July 1925, Page 6

MINING FACULTY'S VIEWS

RETENTION OF SCHOOL HERE DESIRED The University Commission—Sir Harry Rudolph Reichel (chairman) and Mr F. Tate—resumed this morning. A statement was submitted by Professor Park, Dean of the Faculty oi Mining Engineering. He traced > the history of the school and its functions. All the classes were day classes, and no attempt was made to attract young men working in engineering shops. These were already provided for by night classes at the Technical College. A two-thirds majority of the faculty, said Professor Park, favored four separate universities. The minority favored a scheme of internal autonomy for the B.E. degrees in mining and metallurgy on the same lines as for the M.B. and 8.0.5. degrees. On the question of external or internal examiners, _ the faculty was unanimously of opinion that external examiners were undesirable for proressional degree, because the candidates work for the whole year was not taken into account, and because the profession of engineering could not bo covered by any written prescription. The English examiner saw mining only through English eyes and English experience. It was thought that in each department of the School of Mines each professor should have the assistance of a full-time lecturer in order to afford relief from the amount of drudgery and individual instruction which a professional course involved, and in order to give time for research. The Otago School of Mines was recognised by the New Zealand Government as the University School of Mines ior the dominion, and the faculty was oi: opinion that, whatever changes _ were recommended or made, no similar special school should be established elsewhere. It was recognised that young men. in other parts of the dominion with a bent for raining and geology were handicapped, and to overcome that it was recommended that mining bursaries bo granted, two for Auckland, one for the middle district, one for Canterbury, and one for Otago and Southland. Such a scheme would obviate the duplication of schools and give equal opportunities to all at a small annual cost to the dominion. Professor Park said, he was of opinion that if four universities were established no groat harm could arise, provided safeguards wore enacted to prevent the unnecessary duplication of special schools. He was of opinion that it was not population but finance around which a university revolved. It was generally recognised that a university town possessed educational, cultural, and financial advantages that wore_ denied the country towns and districts. For instance, in Dunedin the outside students circulated no less a sum than £1,000,000 every ten years. The problem was how to finance four universities. Ho would_ suggest that a special vote be levied in all the university towns for university education, the rate to be supplemented by an annual grant of equal amount from the consolidated revenue. The rate could be raised on the capital value of the rateable property or its equivalent on the unimproved value. Local rating embodied a sound business principle that had been sanctioned by long usage in England and the United States. Professor Park pointed out that there was a world-wide depression in mining, one of the after-effects of the war. Fortunately the attendance here had not fallen in the same ratio as elsewhere. At the present there were as many undergraduates taking the full course here as in all the university mining schools in Australia taken together. In the departments of metallography and applied electricity they were much behind the times in apparatus, and the position needed to be urgently remedied. The Professor added that the majority of the Mining School graduates found employment -outside the dominion. There was hardly a mining centre in the Empire in which one of their old students was not to be found.

Mr Tate: Do the people of New Zealand cheerfully accept that position?

Professor Park: Yes. They look upon the matter from an Imperial standpoint. It is only fair that wo should do something for other parts of the Empire. Ho thought that it would bo a matter of good policy and public interest if the engineering school was concentrated in one centre. He could not say whether Dunedin nr Christchurch should be the centre. It was not true to say that their school was badly equipped. The results showed that they were well equipped. They had four harbor board engineers in New Zealand who were graduates of the school, and graduates had no difficulty whatever in obtaining employment. The B.E. degree was of such a high standard that students could take another subject and sit for the B.Se. degree. There were altogether about fifty students at the school. No bursaries were provided outside of those given by the University.

Dealing wi|.h the question of four universities, Professor Park said that ho did not think that at the present, time four universities could be established. There were about 1,000 students at the Otago University, and ho thought that each student spent at least £IOO per year.

CASE OF PRIMARY TEACHERS

UNIVERSITY EVENING CLASSES

Messrs Hawke and Woods submitted the following statement on behalf of the Otago branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute

“ The institute, acting as the guardian of the rights and" privileges of teachers, views with alarm the suggestions made in some quarters that there .should be restrictions as to the number of evening classes conducted by the University. A system of day classes alone, if inaugurated, would render it practically impossible for teachers to graduate and thus obtain for themselves and their profession the hall-mark of the University. The exigences of the teaching profession are such that practically tile whole time of the student while at the Training College must be given to training and practical work in the technique of his profession. The paramount, aim of the Training College authorities is to turn out a fully-trained teacher, and very lew trainees have the time and opportunity for the acquirement of a degree. The most that can be hoped for while the student is in training is at best a •section or two towards a degree. The system of evening classes should be continued to suit the real needs of those who have completed their Training College course, and who wish to share in the cultural advantages which the University offers. The institute has no desire to see the door to a degree slammed and bolted in the face of teachers.

“ While it may not be admitted that the general organisation of the University should be adapted strictly' to the practical needs of the community, it is surely incontestable that University facilities should, if possible, be extended to those wlio.se duty it is to take charge of education in their various districts. To divorce the University from the teaching profession would seem an unnatural aim. At the present time 104 Otago teachers are taking classes at the University, and the holding of day classes exclusively would render impossible the attendance of 1 ho. mapority of this number. The percentage of teacher graduates in the ru-iumij schools of Otago is eight*

This percentage must surely be confl!<!-l ered as low from the point of view or a highly-qualified educational service* 4 “ Whereas the staffs of the city" schools comprise only 30 per cent, or the certificated teachers of Otago they hold over 50 per cent, of the degrees. Seventy-five per cent, of these city teacher graduates have qualified through attendance at University classes outside of school hours, these facts are submitted to show both that access to tho University after school hours is necessary, and that, this privilege is availed of by city teachers. _ “ The following negative instance w instructive:—Science classes have heen almost exclusively day classes. the proportion of science graduates among the primary school teachers of Otago is i per cent., and there is not at the present time on the staffs of the primary schools of the city itself a certificated teacher with a science degree. “ The above arguments and our emphatic protest against the suggestion for dav classes only are not based upon the assumption that graduation is an essential part of the training of pnmary school teachers. We submit thaft from the point of view of an efficient national teaching service and of the highest good to those committed to our charge, convenient access to the higher educational facilities provided by the University is highly desirable. Many of the leading figures in the professions in New Zealand are the product of the part-time system, and there is every evidence to show’ the need for its continuance in the future.” In reply to Mr Tait, Mr Woods said he thought the institute would unanimously favor an extension of the Training College course from two to three olf foiir years.