TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3889, 25 September 1928, Page 52

TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

BOAkD of managers. The monthly meeting of the Board of Managers of the King Edward Technical College was held on Wednesday afternoon; present—Messrs T. Scott (chairman), J. T. Paul, J. H. Wilkinson, W. H. Steele, E. F. Duthie, F. A. Lawrence, G. Clark, L. Sanderson, Mrs Herbert, and Mrs Cumming. A vote of thanks was accorded Mr J. Haymes for past services, and regret teas expressed that he had severed his connection with the board. APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE. The Appointments Committee reported that the report of Mr E. Johnson, head of the engineering department, was received, and satisfaction was expressed with the progress of the department during the past year. The report on the progress of the. Art Department during the current year, submitted by Mr Allen, was received. Mr Allen’s recommendation that the board should press for recognition of the school in connection with, at any rate, the earlier part of the course for the Diploma m Fine Arts, was approved by the committee, to be sent forward to the board. Mr Allen also suggested that the full-time art staff might be more fully used in connection with the trades courses in the school. It was decided to recommend that, during 1929, the time table should be remodelled if possible, so tliat, the dome tic science classes and at least the building boys should be taught for a portion of the week by the full-time art staff. In connection with the names forwarded by the committee to the Education Department for the position of needlework instructress, a letter was read from the superintendent of domestic instruction giving her opinions of the candidates whose names had been submitted. After careful considei ation of Miss Dyer's letter, and a further personal statement, it was decided to appoint Miss Helen Moran. Mrs Herbert wished her vote against the appointment to be recorded.

Mrs Herbert said that, mdging by the samples of work laid before the committee by a local candidate, she was of opinion that this lady was quite fitted to fill the post. Young New Zealanders ought to be given a chance, and in this case an opportunity was given to recognise the ability of our own people, and yet the local applicant war passed over. Mr Paul said, in justice to themajority of the committee, he wished to state that the matter that weighed with them was that they should consider the tuition of the young New Zealanders, and that being so, they wished to get the best teacher available to them. He agreed with Mrs Herbert’s point of view, all things being eqnal, but again he said that in making appointments they should first consider the interests of the school. It did not matter materially where an applicant came from. If she could give better tuition.—(Mrs Herbert: That is

the question}-— to a number of young New Zealanders, that was the appointment to make. Several members supported the - appointment recommended by the comm:ttee. The report was adopted. CORRESPONDENCE. In reply to a report regarding an acei dent to a student, the department wrote stating that it was not responsible unless the circumstances were exceptional.—lt was agreed to ask the principal to prepare a report on the facts of the accident. A circular was received from the department regarding the technological examination in November.—The principal remarked that there were three grades of this examination —preliminary, intermediate, and final—which was intended to replace in New Zealand the City and Guilds’ examination of London. Previously only fourth-year apprentices were eligible for the intermediate examination, but uow it had been decided that third-year apprentices should be eligible, conditional on being the holders of senior free places. TECHNICAL REFERENCE LIBRARY. At the meeting of the Appointments Committee, Mr Wilkinson raised the question of providing a technical reference library. The board decided to refer the proposal to the principal to present a report to next meeting on the funds available and the methods followed in other large technical schools. • PRINCIPAL’S REPORT. • The principal reported, in regard to the conference in Wellington last month as follows: — The principal matters dealt with at the conference which call for report are the following:— (a) Changes in the educational system of the country. The conference gave much time to proposals which have been publicly made recently and recommended: (1) That wherever possible pupils should be transferred to a postprimary school two years earlier t-mri at present, (2) that post-primarv schools of more than one type s'? be provided, and (3) that the pre. introduction of secondary subjects into the primary schools’ syllabus should not be allowed to work direction of a general revival of Standard VI. In his reply to the deputation of the conference the Minister of Education made it plain that no reform would be introduced until Cabinet had gone thoroughly into the question of expense. He also made it clear that the Government did not propose to set up new secondary schools at present in any district without making full inquiries as to the type of school required. (b) Recognition of evening classes. In reply to representations made it was made clear that evening classes will oe approved in future with less difficulty than heretofore. (c) Fees. The conference almost unanimously voted against an increase in fees.

(d) The conference also declared its willingness to accept an extra annual grant for renewals of apparatus instead of individual grants by special application. (e) The Syllabus Revision Committee. —The conference voiced its strong disapproval of the references to the Technical High School in the report recently issued by the Syllabus Revision Committee, and asked for an explanation of the grounds upon which the committee had declared “ that the institution of the technical high schools has created amongst children distinctions which are educationally unsound and socially undesirable.”