TECHNICAL EDUCATION

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12323, 18 December 1925, Page 9

TECHNICAL EDUCATION

SECURE, SOLID FOUNDATION ANSWER TO THE NARROW-MINDED COMMENT ON COMMISSION'S REPORT “If the findings of tho University Commission are carried out our technical colleges will "be much more closely linked with the university, and must be placed in a position to do much higher work than at present,” stated Mr J. H. Howell, director of the Wellington Technical College, in his annual report presented at tho annual break-up ceremony yesterday, and when referring to Mr Tate’s renort on post primary education. COMMERCIAL TRAINING The director quoted extensively from the report ond continued: “Mr Tate’s report scarcely refers to the important subjects of commercial education and training in home science and home arts, but as far as the organisation of "our New Zealand technical colleges is concerned he wholly endorses it. “The method or organisation outlined here by Mr Tate is precisely that of this college, and of the other technical colleges in New Zealand. But Mr Tate would go much farther in order to secure a sound foundation for technical training than we have done in New Zealand. Mr Tate would establish post primary schools 01 special. character, junior technics' schools, schools of domestic arts and schools of preparatory commercial work by a new arrangement of the present V and VI standards in the citv schools,’ and, as he. says elsewhere, ‘the iunior technical 'school should be attached directly to a senior technical school or college.’

“NARROW-MINDED PEDANTS” “Even New Zealand is not free from Enrrow-miuded pedants wbo can see no good in anything outside their own subjects or their own branch of education; and it was clearly the expectation of these that Mr Tate would denounce our system of technical education instead of endorsing it and urging its development. To such Mr Tate has proved a modern Balaam and they are finding it as difficult to bolieve his message ns Baiak himself.