TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10897, 11 May 1921, Page 7

TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

ANNUAL CONFERENCE. BUSINESS DONE AT YESTERDAY'S GATHERING. SALARIES AND GRADING. / ■ The annual conference of directors ot technical schools and supervisors of manual training was opened in Wellington yesterday. Mr G- L. Park (Wanganuij presided. The delegates were: Mr J. P. Ka Lineker and Miss A. B. dumper (Auckland), Messrs A. Gray (Hawera), J. E. Newton and IV. C. Morris (Napier), J. H. Howell (Wellington), F. C. Oockbu-rn (Nelson), A. G. Tomkies (Westport), D. G. Hansen and R. Grant (Christchurch), R. J. Thompson (Ashburton), W. Fossey (Timaku), A. M!arslrall (Dunedin), W. G. Aldridge (Invercargill), and W. S. La Trobe (Supervisor of Technical Education). -PRELIMINARY BUSINESS. In the course of an address to the conference, Mr Park expressed a hope that the conference would take some preliminary steps toward setting up a National Education Defenoe Association, with a permanent organisation, to follow up its resolutions. Mr J. Caughley (Director of Education), who was present awhile, advocated the pursuance of a definite object by students—the pursuance of something that might serve as a means to a livelihood. The person who' took up techni-

cal studies as a hobby was apt to introduce an unsuitable atmosphere. The officers for the year are Messrs J. E. Newton (president). W- S. Aldridge (secretary), A. Marshall (member of executive). Mr Newton presided over the remainder of the proceedings. REQUEST TO THE DEPARTMENT. It was decided to ask the department to provide for consultation between grading officers and directors in the grading of staffs. ■ It was decided also to ask for a definition of “professional attainments.” The department is to be requested to raise the level of the present grading of technical school assistants so that -a reasonable proportion may, be placed in the higher grades. ' SALARY QUESTIONS. Remits respecting matters of salary were passed as follows: "To alter the salary raftes so that salaries of directors may be made at least equal to Those of principals of secondary schools of the same size.* “To increase the maximum salaries in Division 11. of Schedule I. by £SO for both men and women." “To increase o'wime rates of pay for fuJjl-time teachers (suggested minimum 4s 6d per hour women, Gs men) so that the scale of payment may be comparable with that for part-time teachers*' “To make a special allowance as in secondary schools to the senior mistress in a mixed school containing more than 75 girls." '‘That the payment provided for student teachers .-should be made at least equal to that of probationers in primary schools in the case of those training full time in technical schools; in other cases the rates should be considerably increased.” THE EDUCATION ACT. The following remits bearing on the Education Act were adopted]— ' “A technical school should be granted direct representation On the Council of Education.” “That where a board of managers has already been constituted and appointed to a technical school under the jirovisions of the Act. this conference presses upon the Government the desirability of placing the full administration of the technical school, subject only to the Udi; cation Department, in the hands of that board.”

“Pending any wide reorganisation of our system of educational administration, it is the opinion of this conference that the administration of any technical school where there is an organised day school should be placed in charge of a board specially appointed for that purpose." OTHER RESOLUTIONS. Other resolutions proposed were: To lessen the actual teaching hours for teachers in science, mathematics, languages and book-keeping before overtime is counted, to twenty-five weekly. To grant technical school hoards control over the leave of absence of their staffs subject to Departmental regulations. To lessen tlie average number of pupils per teacher from 28- to 25. The conference meets again at 9.30 this morning.