COMMERCIAL COURSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19140, 5 October 1925, Page 10

COMMERCIAL COURSES.

OPPOSITION TO TRANSFER.

CASE FOR TECHNICAL SCHOOLS.

The proposed transfer of commercial courses from the technical' schools to the secondary high schools i 3 the subject of a statement issued by the New Zealand Technical Schools" Association.

The statement contends that the proposed change cannot be justified on the score of economy, as the building and equipment at the technical schools costs no more than at a high school. In the large technical schools it is the workshop and staff that are usually in need of equipment extension. To empty the commercial classrooms would not ease the position caused by the shortage of workshops. If the change were made, a serious injury would be inflicted upon the evening classes. The establishment of separate evening commercial schools was not an economical proposal, for it would still be necessary that commercial classes should be included in the technical school courses. The development of technical high schools had been on sound lines, and the proposed -pruning would seriously injure that development. The result would also be to remove most of the girls from the technical schools, which were the only secondary co-educational schools to be found in the larger centres. Moreover, no technical school, even in the larger centres, had reached the size that allowed the greatest efficiency in organisation. The technical school was the least expensive of the postprimary schools, and therefore there was no reason for inflicting serious injury upon these schools on the ground of economy. The proposal, the statement adds, was not in the interest of education generally and was likely to sffect seriously the steadily-developing system of technical education.