TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 August 1928, Page 5

TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

AG RT CULTUR AL INSTRU CT TON.

(Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, August 24

Encouragement for town boys to qualify for rural occupations, by providing an agricultural course in post primary schools, in or near the city, was the tenor of one of the remits presented to the Minister of Education, on behalf of the Technical Schools’ Association Conference.

The Minister (Hon. R. A. Wright) agreed that the idea was a sound one, especially in vie/v of the drift to the towns. He pointed out that there was a very line agricultural school at Feilding and there was also the Massey Agricultural College, but he presumed the idea, was that there should be something nearer the homes of the pupils. Thirty acres of land had been suggested as sufficient for the purpose of agricultural instruction, and he thought that was little enough. The Minister suggested that they would have to go some distance out into the country, otherwise they would have to pay . a high price for land. The Christchurch Technical College had leased land for an agricultural class, but he feared that, at any time, it might be ordered off. Mr. Wright said he agreed that the boys should Lie encouraged to go on the land, arid the Department would see what could be done in the direction asked. A remit was also presented to the Minister, urging the New Zealand Technical Schools’ Board be officially recognised, and that the proposed technological examinations be conducted by it.

The Minister said he was afraid he could not give any hope of the request being acceded to at present. The Department' was making provision for technological examinations, and it was intended that those in preliminary ami intermediate courses in the several branches of work for boys should be held this year. The regulations for the institution of examinations had been drafted and referred to the bodies concerned. After the experiment had been tried, and they saw how it worked out, if the position was still unsatisfactory, the Technical School Boards could approach the subject again.