INCREASED INTEREST

Evening Star, Issue 20443, 26 March 1930, Page 2

INCREASED INTEREST

TECHNICAL NIGHT CLASSES ABOUT 1,100 PUPILS ENROLLED. “Evening classes reopened, on February 27. and from the first increased interest in the classes: had been noticeable,” reported the Principal of the King Edward Technical College to the Board of Managers yesterday afternoon. The number of hours’ teaching in each course in tho school showed clearly that a normal rate of growth was being experienced iu a number of directions. All senior science and pharmacy classes had been omitted this year, as students could not be induced to attoiid in sufficient numbers. _ The decision of the. New Zealand Railways lo send all Hillside apprentices to evening classes and the coming into force of an order of the Electrical Trades Apprenticeship ■ Committee had boon responsible for a striking increase in tho junior engineering course, in winch three separate sets of students had to be arranged for. In all, about 1,100 students had been Unrolled, a number, so far as ho knew, greater than had ever been recorded previously in the month of March in evening classes. Considerable difficulty bad been experienced in evening classes in finding enough teachers, particularly iu motor classes, from which it was necessary to withdraw Mr J. Davidson, owing to special circumstances, hut all vacancies were now filled. Tho only classes quite new to tho syllabus were one in structural engineering for architects and one in boilermaking theory, both on Friday evenings. . , . It was now practically impossible to add a class of any size to the evening school syllabus except on Fridays! Negotiations were now proceeding with the Education Department establishing .small classes in navigation. The report was adopted.