TECHNICAL COLLEGE

Evening Star, Issue 22808, 17 November 1937, Page 6

TECHNICAL COLLEGE

! MONTHLY MEETING OF BOARD REVIEWS OF DEPARTMENTAL OPERATIONS The Technical College Board of Go vernors met yesterday afternoon, there being present tho chairman (Mr J. J. Marlow), Mrs W. Herbert, Miss L. Sullivan, Messrs J. T. Paul, W. G. Cocking, C. J. Hayward H. H. Johnson, J. M. Patrick, L. Sanderson, W. D. Sutherland, and Dr R. Gardner. EXCELLENT TONE IN SCHOOL. Presenting the report of the Appointments Committee, Mr Paul remarked that the tone of the school was excellent. The committee recommended that brief annual reports from senior teachers, as well as the reports presented by heads of departments, should bo submitted annually to the committee. This was approved. CLASSES FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN. The Appointments Committee reported that the Education Department had sanctioned the experiment of opening free classes to primary school children and had promised recognition of such classes in 1938. BREAK-UP CEREMONY. The break-up ceremony was fixed for Thursday, December 16. CORRESPONDENCE. The Chamber of Commerce advised that it would _ contribute £3 3s for commercial prizes, and was warmly thanked. The Education Department wrote granting authority for the conversion of the garage into a plumbing workshop. SENIOR SCHOOL OF COMMERCE. Mr L. D. M'lvor, head of the commercial department, submitted the firs* annual report of the Senior School of Commerce. Tho report stated : “Tho fact that the ihealth restriction would not permit of the opening of the senior school at a date prior to March 1, coupled with our consequential inability to undertake the special advertising proposed for January, somewhat handicapped the opening stages of the senior school. Private commercial colleges opened as usual in late January. ; Nevertheless, during the year students enrolled as follow;—Course A (full time), 23; course B (mornings only), 6; course 0 (afternoons only), 6; total, 35. Of the full time students, 13 students have accented employment to date, most of them transferring to evening classes. “In my opinion, the establishment of the senior,/ school has been thoroughly justified, and, despite the exceedingly strong demand for office workers, I am confident that the school will maintain and probably expand its numbers in 1938. I have already soma 15 full-time students in view. , “ The bar to admission has worked well, and students who seek admission without such qualifications are adequately provided for in the Technical High School. Those students who while being members of tho senior _ school elect to take part in the activities of the Technical High School appear to make such contacts easily and l acceptably. t “ The work of the senior school has proceeded according to the general outline planned for this experimental year, but the establishment of a separate typewriting room of 20 machines would make a much more convenient timetable possible. Indeed, such, an extra room will become almost imperative should any great increase in numbers he experienced.”- , EVENING COMMERCIAL WORK. Mr M'lver also reported on the evening commercial work. , The decrease in the numbers of those taking up accountancy studies was_ influenced largely by factors over which they had no control. The reopening or the avenues for the training of young men for the teaching profession and the reintroduction of the bursary system in the universities had been responsible for some easement in the numbers taking this course. Referring to the shorthand-typists’ classes, he said that further rapid expansion had l taken place in the demand for instruction, and the evening school numbers of those .taking this course had nearly doubled in the past two years. Of 34 candidates presented for the junior Government examination last year 30 were successful. This year they were presenting 50 junior, 16 senior, and four intermediate advanced candidates for the Government examinations. There had been a healthy growth in the demand for admission to the junior classes in salesmanship, hut it was felt that improvement was possible in the more senior stages of instruction. Mr M'lver was seeking to co-operate with the head of the art department in the production of a suggested course of instruction for seniors with a view to improving the scope and nature of tho instruction given. He hoped to he able to submit concrete suggestions to the principal for his consideration in the near future. ENGLISH AND HISTORY. In his review of the year’s operations the head of the English and history department (Mr W. Alexander) stated that weekly staff meetings had been held throughout the year. The value of these conferences could be assessed very highly, and it was in great measure due to the open and frank discussi<i ns on such occasions that the standard of work done in this section of school work might be deemed so satisfactory, The whole effort of their teaching was definitely co-operative. The new programme in history for first and second-year classes had now been in full operation for a year. It was confidently claimed that the scheme was a success. Monthly programmes of work were drawn up and filed, each teacher choosing his own field to explore. Themes were set and well done in the majority of classes. A course in civics and a short synopsis on New Zealand history were obligatory on all classes. “ Members of the board may find interest in the following figures relating to the school library of class texts,” continued tho report. “ For English and history classes there are now available 96 sets, comprising 3,570 volumes. On a modest computation a first or second year pupil in most post-primary schools is required to buy three class texts per year. A low average cost would be 5s a pupil for each year of any course. In a school of our size the saving to parents is, therefore, at tho very least £2OO per annum. In addition, classes have a wider choice of reading than under ordinary conditions. “ During 1937 17 English classes were in operation. A new class' in general knowledge designed for students taking 1 professional engineering examinations was instituted, and met with fair gap-

port. Despite too-frequent changes in our part-time staff, the standard of work reaches a high level, and the average attendance is very satisfactory. All evening class students enjoy the benefits of our class-text library, and here again the saving to parents is very marked. “Now that the pressure on our accommodation seems likely to he eased considerably in the near future, I take the liberty of suggesting that the time is opportune to inaugurate a general library and reference room for tho use of all students in the Technical High School. One has to he associated with young people to realise their genuine thirst for knowledge and their avidity for inquiry along lines acceptable to individual taste. Staffing arrangements would have to be such that responsible teachers would, in turn, he on duty in such a room to direct investigation and to’ stimulate curiosity. Different groups of pupils would, of course, use the room at different periods of the day. It should never be unoccupied during school hours and for, perhaps, an hour after. The probably different constitution of the Technical High School during the next few years may convince ns that early specialisation in certain courses is not in the best interests of the pupil, and that, left free to explore various realms of knowledge, he may become more certain of his own aspirations in this world. “ The equipment of such a department in the school would he a matter of anxious consideration. The literary resources would have to be ample, hut not ponderous. The furnishings should be quite different from that of an ordinary class room; the intention should be to create an atmosphere of comfort—aesthetic and material—which would create a prejudice in favour of tho privileges to be found therein. “The initial cost will he a weighty factor in instituting such a departure from conservative precedent, but, in these days of humanitarian legislation and social service, I respectfully suggest that the resultant advantages will well justify the necessary expenditure.”