ART AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 18

ART AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS.

"At "Wednesday's meeting of the Otago J|3ducation Board the following letter was received from Mr G. M. Thomson, chairman of the Technical Classes Association: — "The matter of appointing a, director of technical instruction is at the present time under the consideration of the Technical Board, but before taking any; action my board ia desirous of ascertaining whether the Education Board will take into consideration the dteeirability of amalgamating the present Sonool of Art with the work pi the Technical School. I would request the favour of a reply as early as possible, in. order to enable us to proceed with our session's work without undue delay."

Mr W. Scott moved— "That the board agrees to meet the directors of the Technical Classes Association in conference for the purpose of discussing with them the present position of technical instruction in Otago, and expresses its sympathy with the direc- ! tors of the Technical Classes Association an their desire to obtain a suitable director or directors to overlook the work of the school." At the present time they were spending a good deal of money on technical education, and it was their duty as members of the board and 1 - the Teohnical Classes 'Association to see that the money was put to the best use. That could only be done by having a director appointed who would idevote the whole of Ilia time to technical ' education. The time bad arrived, so far as 'the Technical School was concerned, when .it was imperative that a director should be apointed. His own opinion j.was that a director should be appointed, but it was a matter for a I conference afi to whether the director should 'be a director of the technical schools or ! -whether he would have the School of Art 'as well. The School of Art at the present time was absolutely useless to students of ( the association. The work of the one was ' not dovetailed into the work of the other, ' and students of the association were tre1 mend'ously handicapped on that account. 1 If the two schools were not to be combined lib would be , necessary for the Technical ''Association to appoint a drawing master ,of its own. There was also the question of technical education in the country. He Ibelieved that the members of the board and the people in the country generally had |just complaint, and they were not far wrong .•when they said that technical education at | %he present time was only benefiting bo3'3 and girls of the town. It ought not to be | §0. If they had* a director appointed, with I Jiroper organisation, there was no reason I {why the benefits of technical education of < the kind required in the country should not 1 fee within the r*ach of every boy and girl Sn the country districts. Then, again, there {wore the v.-ood classes and cookery" classes. ■ uood work -was being done in cookery, but at waa a question whether they, were nojjj ■pending' a lot of money uselessly in connec- ' iion with ths woodwork classes. The Mfrooiation waa also talking about having thre» terms of day classes/ and the difficulties in the way could b© gone into at *h« conference. The idea was that these 3a.y olasses should be established, and be * «ort of continuation school. There- was a itrejit demand for them, and: they could only bo brought about if a director were appointed. Sir Israel, 111 seconding the motion, said fiat the time had undoubtedly arrived W. the Education Board should either JNM complete charge of the classes or ■WiM into harmonious agreement with the

aesociation. That was the question they had to consider. In any case, there should be a director in technical instruction appointed, for the association was simply in a state of ohaos. The funds were not being applied to the best advantage. It was appalling to se9 the waste of money, and unless something were done this would bo perpetuated. The matter was imperative. They ivero far behind other education districts in their administration of technical education ; other centres were constantly devising improved systems of technical education, and the Otago people could not follow the examples thu9 set unless they had the assistance of a pro-perly-qualified director. The Rev. Mr Fraser said he thought that Mr Scott's motion, in the form submitted, was not exactly what was required. The first part should be entirely separated from the second in order that the board might deal with the two issues involved separately. The association was not asking -for a conference; it would be best in the motion to first receive its letter, and then suggest the desirability of tho conference. With regard to the first part of the motion, while he entirely agreed that it was best to have continually before them the necessity of remedying the evils referred to, yet tho board should not commit itself to any special course of action until it had ascertained exactly what were its_needs. Much depended 1 on the qualifications of a director. He might know nothing about the requirements of the rural schools of this province. He, for one, was not prepared to give the control of technical education in the district into the hands of a man who might know nothing of the district's rcqirements. It wa3 a question of appointing two men — one for the town and ono for the country— or of appointing a man. first for the town, and subsequently one for tho country. He was emphatically not in favour of binding up town teohnical instruction with country instruction. There were great cries about the progress of technical education, but the progress, he was assured, was patchy. and belonged wholly to the towns. SAich education was a crying necessity in the country. They should hesitate before committing themselves by this motion, and further discuss the matter at next meeting, after conferring with the association.

The Hon. T. Fergus said he was also unwilling to accept the motion in its present form, although quite realising- tho necessity of reform in the administration of technical education. He fceheved there wero no ohttarles ia Ihe wfc-y of the nroposed conference, and he thought that tho controlling authority in such education 6ihculrl bo the Education Beard. He sua:{rested the amendment of the moi'on on tha lines favoured by Mr Fraeer. their willingness to enter into a conference, but not committing themselves in Ul3 matter of appointing a director. Mr Scott agreed to tmend his motion, which then re id as follows:— " That the board agree to X meet tho directors of the Technical Classes' Association in conference for the purpose of discussing with them the present position of technical instruction in Otago, and express its sympathy with the directors of the Technical Classes' Association in their desire to obtain a suitable director or directors to overlook the work of the schools." Mr Mitchell supported the motion. He knew that much money was wasted on technical education through their working along defunct lines. At the same time, he gave the associations in Dunedin and in oam*"- 1 aw^ty credit fc» tiavire Utfin up

the work of administration when no one else would do so. The teohnical classes were not serving the right purpose. They were not getting hold of the young fellows just entering into work. Every workman who entered into business should have had a course in the schools, from which he should come properly equipped and qualified for his particular vocation. Instead of that, the classes were to a large extent being availed of by persons foV whom the State did 1 not intend them. The classes should have the support of the employers, but they did not. At present the State did not get anything like value for the money expended; it would be better spent in other directions. It was absolutely necessary that the board should have full control of teohnical education, but it wa3 also necessary they should have a director who should have supervision of technical education right up from the primary classes of the public schools. The Chanman (Mr T. Mackenzie, M.P.) said the biggest question was: What was the country going to get out of it? Before a man could give- technical instruction in the country he must be thoroughly acquainted with agricultural pursuits. If they secured a director thoroughly qualified to give instruction in the city, he might be found ignorant of rural requirements. It .would be almost impossible to secure a man qualified to give instruction in both. It was essential that the man they appointed would be capable of imparting satisfactory agricultural knowledge. He knew fchajfc men appointed to give this class of instruction in other centres were not qualified to teach. They took the positions when quite unqualified, and picked up their information from any Tom, Dick, or Harry. They should seriously consider the question of imparting to the young people of the country knowledge of agricultural and m&njing pursuits. At present this knowledge could not be obtained aa required except from farmers, and that only in exceptional cases; yet all recognised the necessity of encouraging young people to go on the land. With reference to the School of Arts, the day had certainly arrived when that institution should be put on a satisfactory basis. It was not in a position to do useful work. The motion was unanimously carriedi«