TRAINING COLLEGE

Evening Star, Issue 21130, 16 June 1932, Page 7

TRAINING COLLEGE

UNFLAGGING CAMPAIGN FOR RETENTION PERSONAL REPRESENTATIONS TO PREMIER AND FINANCE MINISTER The Otago Education Board is continuing its intensive campaign for the retention of the Dunedin Training College, and this morning appointed its rliairman and secretary to proceed to Wellington and personally confer with the executive authorities, tho Prime Minister, and the Minister of Finance to point out that the weight of evidence on financial and other grounds is definitely against Cabinet's decision to close two of the training colleges. MINISTER’S FIGURES.

Mr Wallace remarked that there was nothing new to be said. He thought the board should take some decided action. A letter received from the Minister this morning bore out what Mr Wallace bad said about bis consideration and courtesy. The letter contained the figures asked for, but members would understand that there had not been time to criticise them. However, Mr Masters showed that the two colleges could be run for £10,900. The board said that tho four could be run for £B,OOO. Mr Masters should be thanked. He had done what some Ministers would not have done—given theiii the official figures.

DEPUTATION TO WELLINGTON. Mr J. H. Wilkinson moved the following resolution : “ As the weight of evidence on financial and other grounds is definitely against Cabinet’s decision to dose two of the training colleges, this board considers it essential that there should bo a personal conference between its representatives and the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Education and Finance, and that in view of the urgenev of the matter the board’s representatives proceed immediately to Wellington.” The motion was carried, and Mr Wallace and Mr Carrington wore appointed to proceed to Wellington. DRASTIC AND UNJUSTIFIED STEP. ‘1 Members of this board have been much perturbed and greatly concerned ever since it was first suggested that the Dunedin Training College should be closed.” said Mr Wilkinson. “ We have all been impressed with the great interest taken in educational affairs by the whole community from the days of the early pioneers onwards, and it comes as a staggering blow to be told that after rendering over fifty years’ valuable service to the community the college is in the interests of economy to be closed. Every reasonable effort has been made to frustrate such a drastic and unjustified interference with one of the city’s most valued educational institutions. After all the protests that have been made and the solid reasons that have been urged why the college should be retained, it comes as a great surprise to us that the Minister should have made the announcement that the college is to be closed, without further consideration being given to the weighty facts placed before him, and how economies could be effected in the four colleges, even in excess of the £IO,OOO he desires to save, without penalising any of the districts where the colleges are located. NOT TO BE TAKEN AS FINAL, “ To-day, however, the fiat has gone forth that the Dunedin Training College is to be closed. Gentlemen, are we to take that as final? 1 say ‘ No,’ ” continued Mr Wilkinson. “ After the great sacrifice and the groat concessions Otago has made in the past in the interests of our national system of education, she is entitled to greater consideration than has so far been shown in connection with the matter. The founders of this settlement were men of wide vision, and were, impressed with the great value of education, and in the early days set apart huge areas of land as endowments for educational . purposes. Official returns show that in 1880 Otago had 351,027 acres at the estimated capital value of £641,264. Otago and Canterbury at that time held 80 per cent, of the endowments for the whole dominion. Ou the establishment of the national system of education these valuable reserves were surrendered for the benefit of the colony as a whole. Mr Butchers, in his volume on ‘ Kducation in New Zealand,’ in referring to these endowments, states: ‘ It would be difficult to estimate how many millions of pounds have in this way been contributed during the past fifty years to the cost of national education in New Zealand in consequence of the states-man-like foresight of the early founders of the great southern Scotch and English settlements. Honour to whom honour is due. The memory of the recipients of great benefits is notoriously short, but the north should not be allowed to forgot this great gift of the south to the children of the nation.” GREAT RESPONSIBILITY OF BOARD. “ If it is necessary to make sacrifices to meet the present situation, then we ask that there be equality of sacrifice in the four districts concerned,” said Mr Wilkinson. “ This board has a great responsibility to the people of Otago and Southland. We are the trustees of a grand heritage, and wo trust that the future of our young people will not be ignored in order to effect a very doubtful saving in expenditure. Let me here say that I do not think Mr Masters has come to his present decision through any antagonistic attitude towards Otago, but is actuated solely by a desire to reduce expenditure and to effect all possible saving. Every member of this board heartily supports him in that desin* This hoard has already forwarded figures to the Minister and particulars as to bow the four colleges could, with reduced staff, be carried on at an expenditure of approximately £B,OOO, and we trust that the information supplied will carry such weight and receive such consideration that he will be led to alter bis decision re the closing of tlie college. “ While speaking to ihe motion before the hoard 1 should like to refer to one or two aspects of the question as they effect the general public. There seems to be an impression in the minds of many who are not acquainted with the method pursued in the appointing of a staff to the training college that the hoard engaged a larger staff than was actually required for the efficient working of the college, when in reality it is the department that determines the number, and no appointment can ho made until it has been confirmed by the department. ‘‘The board is also blamed for the present surplus of teachers, and we arc told that the present 700 unemployed teachers is due to the board's inaccurate calculation as 1o the number of teachers Unit would be required. The departmental figures show that calculated that in 1926 there would be 150

teachers unemployed in New Zealand, 1927 111, 1928 102. 1929 2, 1930 and 1931 there would he no teachers unemployed. The results, however, have proved entirely different to what they anticipated, hence the present large surplus. The boards must be entirely exonerated from any responsibility in the matter. What is going to confer the greatest benefit on the largest number of young people and not what will be most economical should he the deciding factor, - ’ concluded Mr Wilkinson. SURPLUS OF PROBATIONERS. Mr Wallace pointed out the attitude of the department with regard to probationers. Every year there had been a surplus of applicants, and-—as an example of what the department did—instructions were given by it to admit all who bad gained higher leaving certificates and were considered suitable bv the senior inspector. This was the last time they admitted probationers (1930), and accordingly they should have taken in eighty. This showed how much the department knew. At the present time there were 150 teachers not in permanent employment in Otago. TEACHERS AFFECTED. Several letters from various authorities were received. The department asked the board to advise members of the college staff to apply for all suitable vacancies in primary, secondary, and technical schools. LODGING ALLOWANCES. The Secretary (Mr Carrington) referred to the Government’s proposal to regard lodging allowance as a loan. Under tho new scale all students were to receive a bursary of £2O per annum, and students who required to live away from home might obtain a loan o! £3O per annum. This meant that at the end Of the two years’ course of training students living outside the college centres (the majority) would leave college with the future mortgaged to the extent of £6O, while those fortunate enough to live in the college centres would be Free from this. TECHNICAL TEACHERS PROTEST. The Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Technical School Teachers Association forwarded the following resolution: —“That this branch supports tho meeting convened by the Otago Education Board in pressing tor a full statement by the Minister of the grounds on which he proposes to close the Dunedin Training College, particularly the details of the estimated saving of expenditure.’’