THE TRAINING COLLEGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21736, 30 August 1932, Page 10

THE TRAINING COLLEGE

FIGHT FOR ITS RETENTION MINISTER OF EDUCATION'S • ATTITUDE LOCAL COMMITTEE CONTINUES AGITATION The' special committee representative of educational, commercial, and political interests in Otago, set up in an endeavour to dissuade the Government from putting into effect its proposal to close the Dunedin Training College, met last evening. Mr James Wallace (chairman of the Otago Education Board) presided. The main reason for the meeting was the receipt of • letter from the Minister of Education (Mr R. Masters), who intimated that, notwithstanding the arguments brought forward by the committee and its representatives, he saw no reason to ask Cabinet to reconsider its decision. Strong exception was taken to the Minister's aunouncement that the local proposals for a revised institution could not be adopted, and resentment was expressed at the general attitude adopted. A draft reply to the Minister was approved aud two resolutions were unanimously carried. Later the meeting went into committee to discuss other steps to be taken in the fight for the retention of the college. Those present at the meeting represented the Dunedin City Council, the University Council, the Otago Expansion League *the Board of Governors of the" Otago Hign Schools, the Board of Managers of the King Edward Technical College, the Otago branch of the New Zealand Educational -Institute, the Training College Ex■tudents' Association, the Otago Education Board, and the Farmers' Union. • At the outset Mr Wallace raised th« question whether the meeting should be open or in committee. Should they allow the press to be present? His own view was that proceedings should be public up to a point, after which they should retire into committee. It was for the meeting as a whole to decide, however. , ] A voice: You want plenty of publicity, I suppose. .-■ Mr Wallace: Yes, we want plenty. I think, however, that it is time that the Education Board stood down and left the citizens of Dunedin to carry on. i A inotion that proceedings should be taken in open meeting was carried unanimously. LETTER FROM MINISTER. The latest communication from the Minister of Education was then read, Mr Masters again stressed the fact that the decision to close the college had been arrived at only after the most careful deliberation and "after your board was afforded every opportunity of placing its yiews before the Government." The various suggestions had been carefully examined with due regard to their importance. And still Cabinet was determined to confirm its original decision. The letter then proceeded to stress the danger to the standard of teacher training if four colleges were retained with attenuated staffs, and dealt particularly with the Education Board's defence of "the skeleton staff suggested for Training College'as an alternative to closing down" and "various points raised in answer to ■ iny previous communication." Most of the points raised, Mr Masters complained, were in regard to personal qualifications, and as such must remain a matter of ex- . pert opinion, a fact which constrained him-'to feel that no practical purpose could be served by the continuance of the discussion on such lines. The board's suggestion he regarded as "hopelessly opposed to informed opinion the world over." •■'' "My own view," he concluded, "is that we have been unwise in maintaining four training colleges in a young country like v - New Zealand, even in our most prosperous years, and that the time has arrived when the position must be faced. With a full knowledge of the financial position and having regard to the fact that a high standard of training can be maintained at a decreased cost of over £14,000 per annum, I felt it my duty to the taxpayers ef the Dominion to recommend Cabinet to take the action it did. I can see. no reason 1 for asking Cabinet to reconsider the decision already made." ' The chairmail said that the point they had now to consider was whether any reply to the Minister should be made public. It was not to be thought of that ijuch a letter should want for an adequate rejoinder, and he had prepared a statement which, in his view, met the situation. He was alone responsible for its content, and he would like confirmation of the stand taken up. "AN ADEQUATE REJOINDER."

Mr Wallace then read the following statement of the case, which he proposed to forward as a rejoinder to the Minister's latest letter:—

"The Minister, in his letter, stresses the point that the board has been afforded every opportunity of placing its views before the Government. This is quite correct, but it is difficult to credit his" further statement that all the representations and suggestions which have been made have been carefully examined and considered with due regard to their importance. NEGOTIATIONS TO DATE. * "The case for the retention of the. college was set out fully by the representative deputation which waited on the two Ministers in February last. That deputation was informed by Mr Masters that Cabinet had not come to any decision in the matter. In March the Economy Commission's report came out recommending the closing of two colleges. On March 3Q the board submitted to the Minister it's modified scheme for the continuation of the Duhedin College during the next two years at an expenditure of under £2OOO per annum. OnJVlay 27 the Minister notified the board that the Government had decided, in the interests of economy, to close the college at the end of the year. His letter concluded by expressing regret ' that for financial reasons the Government has been obliged to take action in the direction indicated.' "The board then asked to be furnished ■with the cost of the Government's twocollege scheme, and when the figures were received found that the Government's scheme was to cost. £10,900 ns against £7848 for the board's four-college proposal. In round figures, the saving under the department's scheme was to be £14,000 and under the board's £17,000. In addition to this saving in favour of the board's proposal of £3OOO, there would be a further saving of some £2400 in respect of .lodging allowances for Dunedin and Wellington students at present able to live at home.

<( A further deputation waited on the two Ministers in June, and stressed the fact that we had been able to meet them ■with a more economical scheme combined with efficiency. In point of fact, the board's scheme was before the Minister on March 30 —almost two months prior to Cabinet's decision to close the colleges ostensibly for financial reasons—and it is strange that no reference was made to this in the Minister's letter' of May 27. . " On July 7 the board submitted further Tery definite evidence as to the efficiency of its proposals, together with a summary «i the other reasons which had been advanced against the closing of the college. On July 19 the Minister replied that the representations of the second deputation had received careful consideration along with the board's further representations, and that Cabinet had decided to adhere to its previous decision. That letter endeavoured to show that the board's proposals would not make for efficient training, although the board had naked that it be advised of objections on the professional side before any further decision was come to. "In its reply of August 10, the board met every point that had been raised on the efficiency side, and invited the Minister and director to come down and discuss the matter on the" spot, The, board also asked that the whole question of

closing be postponed for a year in order that a complete investigation might be made, including proposals for closer cooperation between Training College and University. EVERY OBJECTION MET.

"The Minister's letter now under consideration does not attempt to controvert the board's complete reply as to the efficiency of its proposals. The board throughout has met categorically every objection which has been raised. The Minister states that after a careful perusal of the board's letter, he. is still convinced that the proposals of the Government are preferable and goes on to say that most of the points referred to are in regard to personal qualifications. This is not so—of the 16 pages comprising the board's reply less than three were devoted to this aspect. His description of the colleges under the board's proposals as ' four struggling institutions each with a handful of students under lecturers each attempting to cover a wide range of subjects' is mere bluff, as well as being inaccurate. This also applies to his remark that it would be impossible for the lecturers to keep up with the rapid development of their subjects, and the teaching would necessarily become stereotyped. " These statements show that the Minister has not attempted carefully to study the board's reply. He has consistently overlooked the fact that the board's proposals are designed adequately to meet the needs of the next two years, when the number of students will be comparatively small, and when most of them will be engaged in the same year's work. "In his previous letter, the Minister stated that it had now been decided to close the Associated Normal Schools at Christchurch and Auckland in order to save a further £1650. This cutting down of the practical training of the students will certainly not make for efficiency, but efficiency apparently is not so important when it becomes necessary to effect savings in order to bolster up the Minister s scheme on the financial side.

"THE REAL REASON." " The real reason for closing the college is to be found towards the end of the Minister's letter: ' My own view is that we have been unwise in maintaining four training colleges in a young country like New Zealand, even in our • prosperous years, and that the time has arrived when the position should be faced.' It is evidently a policy measure with him and this accounts for his prejudice all along in favour of two colleges. Consequently, the matter has been viewed from this angle only, and no attempt has been made to formulate or consider favourably proposals based on equality of sacrifice ovei the four colleges as recommended at the Education Boards' Conference. Hitherto, economy has been given as the sole reason, and it 'is difficult still to believe that the Coalition Government in power for a particular purpose should adopt as a policy measure such a revolutionary proEosal and one which will almost certainly e reversed by another Government. But if it has, it does not redound to its credit at a time like this to sanction under the guise of economy what would now appear to be a matter of policy. NO CASE ESTABLISHED. "No case has been made out for the closing of the Dunedin College, either on the grounds of economy or on those of inefficiency of the modified scheme. The board's scheme is supported by educationists of standing and by practical headmasters directly associated with the training of teachers. It is quite evident from the final paragraph of the Minister's letter that he is not prepared to come down and discuss the efficiency aspect with the board and its advisers. If the whole question were examined by an unbiased tribunal the Government's decision would be _ reversed on the weight of evidence against it.

"I am satisfied that the Otago students who are completing their training next year will not receive as sound a training in Christchurch as they will in Dunedin. I am making no comparison between the two colleges. But it does not make for efficiency to take students from their homes- and place them in new surroundings. It does not make for efficiency to transfer students when halfway through their course to another college, where the organisation is different—the colleges have not been working along parallel courses. Nor does it make for efficiency to limit the means of practical training as indicated by the Minister in the closing of the Associated Normal Schools. If the country's finances/or, the efficiency of,the training under the modified scheme were really at stake, the Otago Board would not push the matter further, but thes? things are not in jeopardy. "The Otago Board is not fighting because it likes fighting, but because it feebj that a trust is imposed on it to maintain this old Otago institution. Over a long period of years the college was continued by tlie board without Government assistance, and the irony of the present situation is that it could be carried on to-day without Government aid if the endowments for primary education in Otago had not been taken over by the State for the good of the Dominion as a whole. Our late colleague. Mr J. H. Wilkinson, in the last speech he made at the board table, stated that, he was satisfied that certain conditions were attached to these endowments I—conditions 1 —conditions imposing a trust on successive Governments to preserve the educational privileges of Otago. If Cabinet does not recognise this trust, and the injustice generally of)its ill-advised decision, then perhaps Parliament will The meeting heartily endorsed the views expressed by the chairman, and agreed that his reply should be sent forward to the authorities and made public. MINISTER'S PERSISTENCE RESENTED . Mr L. Deans Ritchie then moved the following resolution: — "That this meeting, representative of the educational, commercial, civic, and political interests in Otago, and comprising representatives of both town and country, strongly resents the Government s reiterated decision to close the Dunedin Training College, as imposing on this, province an injustice which has not, in our opinion, been substantiated by any reasons so far advanced, and it further resolves to make every legitimate effort to keep the college open." The mover said that although m respect of some movements of this kind there was a danger of wrong motives being imputed, there could be no risk of such an accusation with regard to the agitation for the retention of the Training College. It could not be said that anyone was serving self-interest m protesting against the persistence of the Minister in his determination to close this institution. Those who allied themselves with the originators of these effotts could not be charged with anything more than the exhibition of a sense of civic pride and loyalty. He did not know whether Mr Masters was deliberately being discourteous in the letter that had been read that night, but the whole tone of the communication seemed to him to savour of slamming the door in their faces with a final refusal even to approach Cabinet again in the matter. "HOW MUCH DO THEY KNOW?" " But what I would like to find out," said Mr Ritchie, "is just how much does Cabinet know about this business. What does the Prime Minister know about the affair? I do not suppose that, in the general hurly-burly of these times, more than two Ministers of the Cabinet have had the time to go, into the question properly and thoroughly. For that matter, What does Mr Masters himself know about it? What are his qualifications to decide the issue? As far as I know they do not exceed those of our own chairman. Like Mr Wallace he has been the chairman of an Education Board, but apart from that he has to rely entirely upon his departmental officers. And instead of giving us the opinions arid views of his departmental officers he talks in the most general terms himself. The deputations that had visited Wellington had been entitled to more specific discussion of the proposals than had been afforded them. The matter had been decided long before the deputations went to Wellington, and. in fact, it had been stated in Dunedin that that was he Government's intention. There were persons present that night who heard the statement made, and yet when a deputation met the Minister later it was strenuously denied. There was no doubt about it that the Training College was doomed before the whole question had been thoroughly considered. RELATION TO. UNIVERSITY.

Mr Kitchie then went on to reler to the relationship that should exist between the Training College and the University. It was the considered opinion of those who were competent to speak on such matters that wherever there was a university thero should also be a training college. With four university colleges, they should have four training colleges,

unless, of course, they had two mauy universities, which was an entirely different matter. The two institutions should be inter-related, and drawing inspiration and assistance one from the other, and since the Otago University held so high a place among the colleges of the Dominion it was reasonable for them to urge that it a,t least should not be robbed of its Training College. The speaker then mentioned the tendency in primary education towards smaller classes. It was recognised that the smaller the class the more efficient would be the teaching. And yet in opposition to this principle of instruction came the proposal to increase the size of training classes. If scholars needed as much pprsonal attention as possible so did students. They should have the closest personal contact with director and teaching staff. •AN UNCONVINCING PICTURE.

"The pitiable picture the Minister has drawn of four struggling colleges with skeleton stall's is most unconvincing, said Mr Ritchie, " aud is merely a descent to a statement of conditions which does not lit the case at all. Surely they do not want to develop standardised production of teachers. That seems to be the danger of the present proposals, which from the point of view of economy, efficiency, and the standard of teaching, appear to me to fail entirely." THE SENTIMENTAL VIEW.

The speaker said that he had some hesitation in introducing the sentimental point of view in such a case, but they should remember that most of the greatest names in education were the names of Otago men, far-seeing, public-spirited pioneers who had set large endowments for the development of education. They could not stand by and watch these filched from the province, and he thought that they should not rest until they nad impressed upon Mr Masters and the Cabinet, and, if necessary, both Houses of Parliament, that such action would be strongly resented. Mr F. W. Mitchell, seconding the motion, stressed the injustice of the intention of the Government to divert the educational endowments of this province from their original purposes. The motion was carried unanimously. LOCAL ENDOWMENTS Mr J. W. Munro, M.P., said be would like to know exactly what was the value of the endowments that had been taken over from Otago by the Government in 1879. Mr Carrington said that the total endowments handed over to the Government by all the provincial districts of the Dominion amounted to £972,000. Of these, Otago provided £641,000. Otago had also relinquished 350,000 acres of land, compared with a total of only 145,000 handed over by the rest of the Dominion. Dr G. E. Thompson said that Otago had penalised itself commercially to make proper provision for the future of education. Other provinces had not, and as a result had forged ahead in a material sense. Now, by getting the benefit of Otago's rich educational endowments, they were profiting both' ways. It looked as if Otago's sacrifices in the cause of education were going for nought. TIME FOR INVESTIGATION The Rev. D. C. Herron moved the following resolution:— I "As the Government's decision is so completely against the weight of evidence, and /as we believe that Cabinet is open to conviction, the interests here represented resolve to forward to the Prime Minister and the Minister, of Education jointly a letter summarising the facts which, it believes, have not so far received adequate consideration, and asking that the four colleges be continued next year, in order to complete the training of the present students and to allow of time for a, full investigation into the whole question." . Mr Herron said the Governments intention with respect to the Training College was thoroughly and unjustly undemocratic, inasmuch as it would exclude from the teaching profession the sons and daughters of people in poor circumstances. It was a matter of pride to the people of a country like New Zealand, and especially Scottish people, that children of the humblest origin were afforded opportunities of filling the highest positions in the land. It was tampering with that privilege and heritage for the Government to do what it seemed to be determined to Mr L. Sanderson seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. The meeting then went into committee to discuss further steps to be taken to have the college retained.