TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3994, 30 September 1930, Page 74

TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

MONTHLY MEETING OF MANAGERS. The monthly meeting of the Kino- Edward Technical College Board of "Managers was held on Tuesday afternoon, and was attended by Mr T. Scott (chairman), Airs Herbert, Airs Cumming. Messrs W. Baird, L. Sanderson, F. L. Lawrence J. H. Wilkinson. J. T. Paul G. W C Afacdonald. J. Horn. C. Conn,’ G. Clark, E. F. Duthie, J. Wheeler. C. J. Hayward, and W. Steele. CORRESPONDENCE. A letter was received from the Canterbury Society of Arts advising that five prizes had been awarded to Dunedin art students in its recent exhibition. A circular was received from the Education Department advising that retired teachers wbo took up relieving work would have their allowance reduced.—Received. The secretary of the Otago Education Board wrote stating that the application of the Technical College Board for rooms in the Aloray Place School next year had been referred to a sub-committee. FINANCE. The Finance Committee recommended the following payments:—Alonthly accounts. £95 15s 2d; salaries, £lOO3 5s 3d; payment to Works Committee. £lOO; — total, £1199 0s sd. The recommendation was adopted. VOTE OF, THANKS. The principal was accorded a vote of thanks for a statement on section II of the Education Committee’s report, members according his work high praise. PRINCIPAL’S REPORT. The principal reported that day and evening classes had reopened on Alonday, September 15. Information now being received showed that several pupils of the Technical High School had obtained positions during the vacation, but that numbers were still higher than usual at this time of the year. Aliss J. Irvine, a part-time teacher in cookery, had applied for leave for the period of the term on account of the serious illness of her mother. Aliss L. Vial, who was still on extended’ sick leave, would probably be in a position in a few days to state when she would be fit to- resume duties. , Air G. J. Park, principal of the Auckland Technical College, had paid an informal visit to the school from September 16 to 18, inclusive. His visit had been partimlarly welcome in view of the opportunities it had presented for discussion of the problems common to large technical schools. Wellington Conference.—Air T. Scott, chairman of the board, had been the representative of the school at the August conference of the Technical Education Association. Intermediate Schools.—Alotions - and amendments proposed had shown that delegates were in general in favour of the intermediate school and the junior high school each finding a place in the educa-

tion system and each providing instruction for Forms 1,2, and 3. The chief difficulty in the minds of delegates on this question seemed to arise from the equivocal terms in which had been written the corresponding sections of the report. Consolidation. —The conference had approved the principle of consolidation as in the best interests of education, and as being of assistance to technical education in those places where district high schools had taken up definite technical courses. Bursaries. —The conference had approved the committee’s proposal in so far as it was recommended to abolish the ■- present system of scholarships, and to procure for deserving pupils the opportunity of post-primary education; but conference had not been in favour of the proposal to base bursary awards solely upon the district superintendent’s consideration of individual cases. Standardisation.—The conference had opposed standardisation of curricula of post-primary schools by the Education De-

partment alone, believing that a competent inspectorate in conjunction with the syllabuses for public examinations and broad genera) departmental regulations would provide sufficient security that the instruction given should be on right lines. Appointments.—A resolution had been passed that the local post-primary council should have power to make all appointments to their staffs and that if any national appointments committee should be instituted, its function should be to furnish information and recommendations regarding each list of applicants for positions, froni which the local councils should make their final choice. Powers'- of Boards.—The following alterations in the Alinister’s scheme had been proposed:—(l) That the central department should distribute to the district boards after deduction of the amounts required for the payment of salaries of teaching staffs, the moneys allocated by Parliament for primary and ' post-primary—other than University—education, in proportion to the population of the district. (2) That the district; boards of education should -provide school*"' sites, buildings, and equipment subject only to compliance with the general regu- • lations laid down by the central department regarding areas, aspects, soils, sani- ’ tary arrangements, dimensions of rooms, etc., such as the English Board of Educa- • tion requires to be observed by local, authorities in the expenditure of grants. ■ (3) That to the councils of post-primary schools should be allocated by the District Board of Education a proportion of! the sums received from the central department for the provision of equipment,' materials, maintenance of buildings and,’ general incidental expenses, together with’ subsidies on voluntary contributions, and that councils should have absolute control of such funds. (4) That the conference is in agreement with the princip’e of associating a chief professional officer with the controlling authority as secretary and treasurer, in the case of district boards, school councils and committees, but in the case of district boards that' officer should be appointed by the board from applications received in response to public advertisement and should be a servant of the board.

Agriculture.—ln conference the opinion had been freely expressed that while it was not. desirable to force the agricultural course into every school, such a course should be available in every school district. There had finally been carried, the resolution that “while this conference recognises the importance of agriculture, as a school subject, it is of opinion that the curriculum of post-primary schools, should be based entirely on the special needs of the pupils and the environment of the district.” The Alinister of Educatin (Air H. Atmore) had addressed the. conference, but it was not easy to gather from the press reports the effect of his speech. He had endeavoured to make' clear that the proposals of the report could do no possible harm to technical education generally, and suggested that any different views had arisen from mis-] interpretation of the report.