A NEW SCHOOL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 204, 18 August 1930, Page 5

A NEW SCHOOL

NAPIER “TECH" BUILDING MINISTER LAYS FOUNDATION STONE. SPEECHES AT THE CEREMONY. The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new Napier Technical College wae performed to-day by the Minister of Education, the Hon. H. Atmore, in the presence of a very large attendance of the publio. Mr. R. C. Wright, on behalf of the College Board of Governors, extended a warm welcome to the Minister and tne public at what would be a red-letter day for technical education in the district. On behalf of the board he congratulated the Minister and the educational committee on the report just presented to Parliament, the recommendations ot which he hoped would be in operation at an early date. In 1918, said Mr. Wright, the first movement was r ■ '■ towards getting new college bin' Mr. Wright then traced the v of acquiring the site, saying t it was only through continual battling that the board was in its present happy position. In 1926, as a result of an agreement, it was decided that the school be erected within four years. The department advised that it could only expend £16,000 on the work and the Borough Council, which owned the property, were not prepared to give it unless £20,000 was advanced. In order to meet the deadlock, the board of managers agreed to find the difference. £4,000. The board wished to thank Mr. John Mason for his efforts while Member of Parliament for the district, the Borough Council for its generous gift, and the H.B. County Council, Chamber of Commerce and the H.B. A. and P. Society for their annual grants.

GROWTH OF THE SCHOOL. Mr. Wright pointed out that in 1917 the day roll was 124, and the evening 100. This year the day roll was 380 and the evening 300, showing the great increase over the lost 13 years. Mr. Wright further expressed his appreciation of Mr. W. E. Barnard M.P.’s. efforts and hoped that the completion of the school was not far off. The Major. Mr. J. Vigor Browa, opened his remarks by naying tribute to the Minister for his services in the cause of education. Tireless and persistent in his efforts, ho had helped education cn by leaps and bounds. He appreciated the attempts being made to alter the educational system, and the rising generation avas bound to receive considerable benefit THE NEW TREND. The chairman of the Education Board, Mr. G. A. Maddison, said that great need for industrial and manual training was being stressed. The children in the new school would have an opportunity of extending themselves in the system of training, which, to some extent, had been impeded in the old school. As far back as 1847 the importance of technical education was realised when the governing authority decreed that industrial and manual training should be included in the syllabus. He trusted that the new buildings, which were well overdue, would give a higher standard of efficiency besides enhancing the reputation of the school. The Minister had the care of the educational well-being ot the children and, whatever legislation was contemplated. Mr. Maddison hoped it would not lead to preventing technical school boards and school committees continuing the wonderful work they were doing. He congratulated the board of managers on the fine building and hoped it would fulfil the requirements of the distret. “This day gives <ne renewed hones,” said Mr. Maddison. “of welcoming the Minister in Hastings, Gisborne and Waipukiirnu when laying foundation stones to the new primary schools which are so urgently needed.” HARBOUR BOARD’S PART. Mr. A. E. Jull, chairman of tho Napier Harbour Board, in praising the development of the site of the new college, said that the area was at one time a Harbour Board endowment and under water. To-day the Harbour Board was looked to to increase the Advantages of the board by improving its endowments. In two months’ time an area double the size of Napier South would bo available for occupation. Tho area that the Harbour Board was reclaiming justified the expenditure locally on education and would enable the town to spread and allow Napier to achieve the destiny which belonged to the principal town of Hawke's Bav. EX-MEMBER'S REMARKS. Mr. John Mason, who represented the district for some time, said the two matters that were giving the townspeople concern when he was elected were the building of the new Post Office, and the acquiring of a site for a new technical college. He was pleased to say that during his term he had the satisfaction of seeing a tender let for the Post Office and arrangements made for securing a new site for the college. Mr. Mason pointed out that no contract was broken by the Reform Government regarding the college. As a result of representations to the Prime Minister arrangements were made to proceed with the building when the council agreed to the dedication of Faulkner street and tho Harbour Board to tho transfer of the land adjoining. Legislation had to be passed investing the land in the Board of Managers. Mr. Mason expressed' the hope that the new college would bo the means of affording education to hoys and girls that would ft them to occupy worthy places in the Dominion. MINISTERIAL FORESIGHT. Mr W. F. Barnard, M.P., expressed pleasure at being present, and said that the Minister deserved the appreciation of the people of Napier

for the remarkable foresight ne had shown in connection with school buildings. The Education Committee, of which the Minister was a member, had presented a report which was a valuable contribution to the cause of education. Members of the Board of Managers deserved credit for the interest they had takcrn in the cause of technical education and it was due to their persistence and enthusiasm that the foundation stone of the new college was being laid. The remarkable increase in the roll number over the last few years showed the lively interest taken by Napier in technical education the activities of which must be extended if the Dominion was to develop as it should. The boys and girls who would receive their instruction in the new building would be able to make it one of the finest schools in the country—one of which they would have every reason to be justly proud. KEY ENTERPRISE OF LIFE. The Minister, in expressing his thanks for the cordial welcome, said he accepted it as a tribute to one of the most important Departments of State—education. Education, he sai, was the key enterprise of life, but it was essential that it be developed on the right lines. In the Dominion large sums were being spent on education, but they were really assets because that was what education amounted to. The Minister quoted statistics showing that New Zealand secondary ichool children were the tallest and best developed in the world. This, he said, was not surprising when one considered the fine stock that left the shores of the Old Country to colonise the Dominion. An eminent American authority had said that the world should bo made sole for democracy. That had been cleverly transposed into “tc make democracy safe for the world.” In 1904 the then Prime Minister had opened the doors of secondary schools, enabling many children who otherwise would not have received secondary education to benefit. Today New Zealand was not in the van regarding facilities for the type of education that was necessary after the child left school. LOCAL CONTROL TO BE KEPT. In regard to the education committee’s report, the Minister said he was emphatic in his faith in local interest and local control and statements that all local control was being eliminated were incorrect. He was convinced years ago that the public was not getting full value for its money from the educational system, which was not meeting the rapid changes taking place. New Zealand depended entirely upon agriculture and yet, in certain school examinations, 600 marks were given for Latin and only 300 for agricultural science. This, he said, was quite absurd and went to show that they were dominated by the shadows of Oxford and Cambridge. The educational committee in their report had recommended that boys and girls should be put through exploratory courses in the hope of ascertaining the occupation for which they would be best adapted. Schools that did not realise they were living in a time when technical instruction was an important phase would soon be doomed. Throughout New Zealand there were different phases of education and all in watertight departments. Teachers had to realise that they were there purely in the interest of the hoys and girls. UNIFICATION NEEDED. The unification of teachers would have a very desirable effect, and he saw no reason why the various boards should not come together, thus cutting out a lot of unnecessary waste in administration. In Victoria, where the conditions were similar to in New Zealand, the cost of administration pere pupil was 4s, while here it was 9s 2d. “Can anyone wonder,” asked th® Minister, “that the committee saw that the money jnust be spent on education, and not on the controlling bodies? We know that in some towns the boys and girls attending technical schools are looked upon as slightly inferior to those who go to the grammar schools—which is an absurdity. Education is not complete unless the hand is trained as well as the brain.” A CINDERELLA TRANSFORMED. “The children’s birthright is being taken from them unless we have academic education side-by-side with technical training. Twenty years age technical training was looked upon as the poor Cinderella but to-day it threatens to oust any school that tries to bo academic only. The technical school sprang into being by the demand for practical education. The academic school found it could not exist without including practical training. Education is a matter abovg the control of politicians. It is too sacred to become the football of party politics. There are 54 boards in-New Zealand and it is proposed to reduce these to 18, which will greatly reduce administrative cost and enable extra money to be spent on equipment in schools that are in touch with the facts of lite.

“We want the co-operation of all. We are giving more local control but putting it in the hands of a lesser number of bodies. Why not have one controlling body for Napier? Why not have the bov who takes technical training alongside he who wants to become a lawyer? Farming is our foremost industry yet for years we have been educating the people away from it. The farmers’ lot. however, must lie made attractive but it will not bo so until all are imbued with the great truth that the professions are dependent unon the farming industry. While we have the farmer on the lower rungs of the social ladder instead of on the higher there can be no return to true prosperity. The thing that matters is the future of our boys and girls and if we get the desired co-operation there will bo no difficulty in placing New Zealand in the forefront of education.’’ (Loud applause) The Minister then laid the foundation stone, after which the prineinnl of the school (Mr. McLaren) extended the hoard's thanks.