AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

Otago Witness, Issue 3470, 14 September 1920, Page 13

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

SCIENTIFIC TRAINING NECESSARY

CONFERENCE IN WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON, September 9. Agricultural education was one of the matters discussed at to-day's sitting of the conference of directors and supervisors and representatives of the boards of managers of technical schools. The conference placed on record its opinion that it was the duty of the Education Department to provide for primary, secondary, and technical schools definite science training with an agricultural bias, and that it should be the duty of the Department of Agriculture to provide for those- who require practical farm training. The conference- also_ expressed the opinion that any area of agricultural land in excess of five acres was not necessary to

demonstrate the essential scientific principles. The Agricultural ■ Committee recommended that the Minister of Agriculture be urged to establish farm schools in the closest possible vicinity of technical or secondary schools, and in any other part of the country where the demand for practical farm training for boys justifies such establishments; and that at such farm schools, in addition to training in all branches of practical farm work, instruction should be given in English history and civics on general lines and in elementary science and mathematics bearing directly on farm work; also in subjects such as farm carpentry, saddlery, concrete work, and iron work. In the event of the Department of Agriculture not being in a position to establish farm schools at once in any particular locality, the committee recommended that areas within a radius of five miles of technical high schools should be obtained by a lease, the rent to be met by grants of £260 each from the Education and Agricultural Departments, and any sum not less than £l5O to be contributed by local bodies and farmers' associations. The controlling board, it was suggested, should consist of representatives of all farmers' associations, technical high school boards, and the Agricultural and Education Departments. In admitting students to farm schools preference should be given to those who had satisfactorily completed at least a two years' course in agricultural science at a .secondary or technical school. The committee also recommended that the Minister of Agriculture should be urged to appoint officers to organise boys' and girls' agricultural clubs similar to those doing, valuable work in production in Canada. The recommendations of the committee were adopted.