TRAINING COLLEGES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21828, 15 December 1932, Page 18

TRAINING COLLEGES

MOVEMENT FOR RETENTION THE OTAGO PETITION At tlie monthly meeting of the Otago Education Board yesterday the chairman (Mr James Wallace) presented a statement concerning the work of the committee which had gone to Wellington to support the Otago petition, and which gave evidence before a parliamentary committee in connection with the efforts being made to have the Dunedin Training College retained. He considered that a good case had been put before the committee, and it was gratifying to know that tlie committee’s report had been a favourable one. In his statement Mr Wallace said; — “ The evidence submitted in support of the Otago petition went to show that it was not only just but logical that teacher-training facilities should be continued in each university centre, and this is virtually what the House has approved in adopting the Education Committee’s report. It is of interest to recall that the Education Committee of the House in 1903 made practically the same recommendation. The records stale: — The Education Committee, to whom was referred for consideration the subject of training 'colleges for teachers, has duly considered it, and recommend that: A training college for teachers be established in each of the four principal centres of the colony —Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, being the university centres —and in order to avoid the expense of duplicating instruction in subjects which arc taught at the university colleges, and to secure for teachers a greater breadth of view, the training of teachers in literary and scientific work should, as far as possible, be provided by the university colleges.

“ It is surely more than a coincidence that two Education Committees of the House, separated by an interval of nearly 30 years, should come to the same conclusion,” said Mr Wallace. “If the Education Department had not, during the intervening years, gradually departed from the recommendation that the training should, as far as possible, be provided by the university colleges, the present move to limit the training to two centres would never have seen the light of day. The Education Department has provided each training college with a complete staff so that a student may obtain all subjects required for a teacher’s certificate without the need of attending a university class except, perhaps, in education. This certainly was never the intention of the committee of the House in 1903, but centralised control, with the Consolidated Fund behind it, is liable to become extravagant. “In 1903 there were only two training colleges —Dunedin and Christchurch —but as a result of the committee’s recommendation, training colleges were opened in Wellington and Auckland in 1906. The 1907 annual report of the Minister of Education recorded the fact that ‘adequate provision had now been made for the training of teachers in each of the four university centres.’ In passing, I may mention that during the period 1876-1903,. the training of teachers cost the Otago Education Board £47,408, of which the Government provided only £17.632 by way of special grants. The fact that the Otago Board, out of its slender resources, spent almost £30,000 on teacher-training, is evidence of the genuine interest of the people of Otago in this question. It was’ not until after 1910 that the department interfered materially with Otago’s sound and economical method of training teachers. “ The question now exercising the minds of all interested parties—parents, students, training college lecturers, normal school staffs, hostel authorities, university councils, and education boards —is what is to be done next year. The matter, notwithstanding a favourable report of the House, still rests with Cabinet, but I feel sure that there is a way out, and that Mr Masters will do the right thing. I still believe that the Minister has been tendered unsound advice, and the recommendation of the committee of the House arrived at after hearing the evidence of the director of education as well as that of the petitioners, should now convince him of this. The department may now say that it has proceeded too far with its closing arrangements to draw back, but such a reply would be simply evading the question. The necessary adjustments can still be made if there is a will to do it. The department will naturally see all kinds of difficulties, but why should the department’s viewpoint still prevail? It is a matter of local concern and- if left to each centre, difficulties apparently insurmountable to the centralised mind bent on uniformity will quickly be overcome.

“Next year presents a golden opportunity for the university college and education board in each centre to cooperate in initiating an economical and adequate scheme of training. The number of students will be comparatively small —those finishing their second year, some graduates and a few third year specialists —perhaps upwards of 120 in each centre. There is really no need for the department to intervene. Allow each centre its proportionate share of the estimated cost of the Minister’s proposed scheme for next year, and the work will be carried out thoroughly and elficiehtly. I know this can be done in. Wellington and Otago, and I am sure the other two centres would accept a like responsibility. “ The Education Department may, of course, continue to criticise adversely any modified scheme for next year, but such criticism is entirely discounted not only by the Education Committee’s recommendation, but also by the fact that teachers were successfully trained in Otago during a period of over 30 years without any oversight from a central department. The money available next year will provide a very much stronger lecturing and practical training staff in each centre than that under which many of our most prominent teachers of today were trained. A list taken out at randon shows that among Otago students trained between 1895 and 1910 are two university professors, six inspectors of schools, one training college principal, and 20 principals of secondary and technical schools, besides, of course, numerous headmasters, infant mistresses and senior assistants in our largest primary schools. It is of interest to note tiie dominance of Otago-trained teachers among the heads of the postprimary schools of the North Island. “ With such evidence as this to support it, the Government should have no doubt about trusting each of the four centres with the task of completing the training of next year’s students. Further, it will not cost a penny more than (lie Government proposes to spend under the Minister’s scheme, and it could even be made to cost considerably less. In addition, the country would be saved at least £3500 for the boarding and travelling expenses of the Dunedin and Wellington students who would be enabled to live at home. The portion of the Education Committee’s scheme recommending separate training centres for primary and post-primary students should'be held over for further investigation, and certainly should not be put into effect next year. Each centre will naturally prefer to train the whole of its own students. “ The vital consideration is that a committee of the House—the House

itself —has vindicated the principle that there should continue to be teachertraining facilities in each university centre. These should not, therefore, be discontinued in any centre next year when it has been definitely proved that Loth economy and efficiency can be conserved by leaving the details to be worked out locally in each of the four centres. After reading the statement, Mr Wallace said that the board must now continue to press the urgency of the matter on Mr W. Downie Stewart and Sir Charles Statham. Mr D. T. Fleming moved a vote of appreciation of the manner in which the ease had been handled and the favourable report submitted by the Education Committee. —The motion was seconded by Mr D. C. Cameron and was carried.