EDUCATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27212, 15 October 1949, Page 9

EDUCATION

FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW By Mentor With the retirement of Mr W. G. Aldridge from the position of principal of the King Edward Technical College, On era in technical education in this city comes to an end. When Mr Aldridge took' over the control of the college, technical education was still a child—a lusty growing child, it is true, but still a child and one that was under suspicion of not being just quite “ off the top shelf.” To attend technical school was still to suggest that socially, and possibly economically, one came from a sphere somewhat less fortunate than those who went to the “ school on the hill.” To-day all that is altered—the technical school has become firmly established as a necessary and integral part of the education system, as an institution to which one naturally goes if one wishes to follow certain professions or vocations.* It has become something more; it has become a recognised cultural centre of a community, a centre for the growth and development of art and music. This is a far cry from its early days as a rather shabby and ratner declasse ' educational relation. To-day, in some spheres at least, it is an acknowledged educational leader. For this changed state of affairs, this changed attitude towards technical education in our community, W. G. Aldridge has a large measure of responsibility, and for the proud position the school to-day occupies, he must be given much of the credit. He has been a headmaster of organising ability approaching genius; and of a wide cultural sympathy in a world of work benches and engineering machinery, of dressmaking rooms and cooking ovens. We shall not soon forget his illuminating smile; nor shall we soon forget his delicate but devastating sarcasm when he wished to score a point in a discussion. He had a mastery of words in •debate that few opponents could outlive. So long as K.E.T.C. sits smiling over the city it has done so jnuch to feed, so long will the name oi W. G. Aldridge be remembered. All teachers will wish him a. long and. happy retirement. To his successor, Mr V. J. * Burton, we wish, too, every happiness in his new and responsible position.

, . 4 “ Half the -women who entered the teaching service in the last five years have already left,” said Mr Max Riske in a recent address in Wellington. If this is true, it is an arresting statement, and Mr Riske should know, as he has for many'years been an executive member o'f the NZEI. If it is true, we suggest something should be done about it. We do not know how much it costs to train a teacher, even to give the present inadequate training, but the cost, which includes the students’ bursary and the overhead cost of running a training college, must be substantial. It is extremely difficult to find a solution to the problem. At one time entrants to the training colleges were compelled to sign a bond guaranteeing a minimum' of three years’ service. This idea was abandoned as it was found that the bond would not “ hold ” if the woman broke it because of marriage. It might be possible to offer encouragement, as is done in some countries, to married women teachers to remain in the service. This would require an adequate scheme of “maternity leave.” This scheme, we believe, works quite well in England. The problem is a serious one, but it should be faced, as we shall find it very difficult to train sufficient teachers to reduce the size of classes, if the wastage continues at the present rate. Already in recent years an additional training college has been opened at Ardmore, and more recently' still, a group of over 200 “Emergency Scheme’’ students has been enrolled. Whether this will provide sufficient additional teachers to deal with the “ post war bulge ” in the school population, let alone to provide for the necessary reduction in size of classes, remains to be seen. According to the Minister’s statement the increase in the school population for the educational year just completed was 5774 — requiring at - least 150 additional teachers and 150 additional classrooms, fully equipped. And still further increases are expected. How far we can lower present entrance qualifications to get the required numbers of students, and yet maintain teaching quality, also remains to be seen. It seems as if we are to-day faced, therefore, with a problem of major difficulty. In the first place, we cannot get more teachers without the danger of lowering the standard; in the second place we cannot get smaller classes until we get many more teachers; and until we get smaller classes, it is quite impossible to introduce into our schools those educational methods and techniques which we believe to be essential to-day.

In presenting his annual report to Parliament, the Minister of Education, Mr McCombs, said, “ The changed emphasis in . educational methods by which children should be encouraged actively to learn instead of passively submitting to being taught is now accepted as good practice, but it will be some time before all the implications of the new processes are fully grasped by all teachers.” This is an important statement, and Mr McCombs went on to indicate, how refresher courses and 'specialist services were assisting teachers “to understand and intelligently apply modern educational theory.” We believe that ’to enable teachers to “understand” will not be a difficult task, as it is easy to per-, suade those already converted, or willing to be converted. To enable them to “apply modern educational theory ” is a very different problem, a problem that cannot be solved by a wilderness of refresher courses and specialist advice. The majority of teachers are already aware of the new educational theories, they are keen to carry them out, but they find it no easy matter. To do so effectively requires as a pre-requisite small classes —classes of a maximum of 35 pupils per teacher. Also required are roomy classrooms with space for activity methods; libraries full of suitable books; and adequate equipment of a variety of types. This in turn requires store rooms for the storage of such equipment,' halls for physical education, for- dramatic work and for musical presentations, and art rooms, work rooms, etc. Teachers are keen and enthusiastic, and will undoubtedly do their best to encourage children “ actively to learn instead of passively submitting to being taught,” but the task with the large classes of to-day and the inadequate space and squipment, is akin to making' bricks without straw. Mr McCombs, however, can rest assured that teachers, used to such handicaps, will continue to do their best.

' Some • points from the Minister’s report to Parliament may interest readers Three large primary schools, and one large intermediate school, were completed- during the year ended December, 1948. All were in the North Island. Is this another example of an injustice to “the Mainland,” or are we more modest in our demands down south? The number of teachers employed in December, 1948, .in all schools was 10.051—and • we are still short of tcschcrs. The number of women to every hundred men teachers, 167 in 1932, has fallen to 123 in 1948. In . training colleges it is worse, the fall being from 201 in lt>32 to 121 in 1948. I fear we cannot blame it all on to the young country farmers. We near a great deal at times from the commercial world of the product they get from our primary schools. In 1948 the total number entering clerical life (including typing)—into Government and local body offices, banks, insurance, legal, commercial houses, shops and warehouses —was 24 boys and. 16 girls, out of a total of 7974 primary school leaves. Of those, nine left without primary school certificate! A further eight boys and six girls entered clerical work from intermediate schools, of whom all save five were from Form 3; 88.8 per cent, of primary leavers and 89.5 per cent, of intermediate leavers went on to postprimary education. It is rather obvious from the above that, whatever their sins of omission, primary teachers cannot reasonably be expected to take all the blame for the weaknesses complained of. The average length of post-primary school life of pupils leaving in 1948 was: Secondary schools, three years two months; combined schools, three years; technical schools, two years four months; district high schools, two years three months; all schools; two years eight months. „ , In 1948.10,450 students were enrolled

at New Zealand university colleges, of which number Otago had 2586. In February, 1949, there were still 142 classes in New Zealand primary schools with a roll of 51 to 60 pupils.

Tale-piece A story told recently at a meeting of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel will bear repetition. A boy at a boarding school sent home to his mother a, careful weekly statement of expenditure. Gratified tc see a regular entry,' SPG 2s 6d, his mother increased his allowance. His sister was sceptical. When he came home for the holidays, she said, “Look here, you can’t kid me. You don’t give anything to the missionary society. What does SPG mean? ” ■ “ oh,” he answered, “it means ‘ Sundries—probably grub.’ ”