THE TRAINING COLLEGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22723, 8 November 1935, Page 4

THE TRAINING COLLEGE

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —The decision to keep the Teachers' Training College closed means that decadence is to be forced upon the educational activities of both Otago and' Southland by methods that approximate bureaucratic despotism. The attempt to cripple the progress of a province that has up to the present time been noted for its cultural progress, is the thin edge of the wedge. Louis Quartorze must have his way; the Scottish Calvinists must be crushed and broken, never to rise again. Under this process of centralisation, the Medical School will be the next to go, then the Dental School, and finally the Charter of the University may be withdrawn. Otago will then be in the same position as a Crown colony, whose interests will be decided for it, not by it. Apparently the sacred institutions founded by our forebathers, the early pioneers, are to be wiped off the mapWhen the pioneers, led by Captain Cargill, Dr Burns, and men of the John M'Glashan type; planned the settlement of Otago they, realising the importance of education, its moral, cultural, and utilitarian benefits, safeguarded poster-

ity by ear-marking for that purpose re-venue-earning endowments. Those who r have studied the early history of Otago, and in whose veins flows Scottish blood, must feel pained at the way the heritage handed down to us has been filched by men who have no respect whatever for the needs of Otago and Southland. The determination to keep the Training College closed' is the most callous insult that has been inflicted upon Otago since its foundation. It is very necessary for the moral welfare and the industrial efficiency of a community that the most promising students should be encouraged tc enter the teaching service. Lord Bledisloe, our late distinguished Governor-General, told an audience of teacher students that on their shoulders rested an important responsibility—the equipping of posterity for true citizenship. The decision to keep the college closed means that parents of Otago and Southland whose boys and girls desire to enter the teaching profession must consent to these young men and women leaving home during the adolescent period in their lives to reside m Christchurch. Thus it is not surprising that hoys and girls of Otago and Southland are not entering the teaching service. There may be some, but the brightest intellects will seek employment elsewhere. The children of the south will suffer in educational advancement, because those who are best fitted to teach are not attracted to the service. During a recent visit to Invercargill the writer was informed by a leading educational authority that many of the brightest young men and women who graduated from the high schools could not enter the college because the cost of living in Christchurch would be prohibitive. Apparently the brilliant young intellects of Otago and Southland are to be unwittingly victimised. May the spirit which prompted our forefathers to stand four-square against oppression urge the citizens of Otago and Southland to fight relentlessly for the retention of the college. It is ours by heritage and legacy—a legacy which has been denied us because ignorance in high places is valued at a premium while ability is discounted.—l am. etc., "Alexander M‘Shane.”