TRIBUTES PAID TO SCHOOL

Southland Times, Issue 25545, 13 December 1944, Page 6

TRIBUTES PAID TO SCHOOL

TECHNICAL COLLEGE The results achieved by the Southland Technical College in the past year were praised by various speakers at the annual ceremony at the school. The visitors, who included the Mayor, Mr A. Wachner, and the Minister in Charge of War Expenditure, Mr Hamilton, and Mrs Hamilton, were welcomed by the chairman of the board, Mr W. G. Tait. The students were urged by the Mayor to take an interest in civic affairs after leaving school. He said that by doing this they could be of great use to their fellow citizens. The need for a new school was urgent and he expressed the hope that its erection would not be delayed unnecessarily. Reference to the splendid record of the school and its popularity was made by Mr Hamilton. He stated that before leaving Wellington he had been informed by the Minister of Education (Mr Mason) that the plans for the alterations and additions to the school had almost been completed. The chairman: That is the reply we received 18 months ago. TREATMENT OF SCHOOL In his annual report the chairman stated that the treatment meted out to the board in its repeated applications for adequate accommodation could only be described as shabby. “My board, as representing the general public of Southland, and more particularly the parents of pupils, now proposes to present a petition to the Prime Minister asking him to take immediate action to have our needs met,” said Mr Tait. “We ask parents to sign that petition and so add force to the board’s representations. We simply demand the fulfilment of the Government’s repeated promises to us.” “Because of travel restrictions it was not found possible this year to hold a conference of the Technical Education Association. As a member of the executive, I consider this a very unfortunate circumstance,” he said. “Important changes are taking place in our educational system. The Minister of Education has himself declared that the technical schools are at the crossroads; on other occasions it is declared that technical education is in the melting pot. Those of us who have had long association with the technical side of the education system have an uneasy feeling that there is at headquarters a certain lack of appreciation of the distinctive contribution that our schools have made to the youth of New Zealand. When grandiose schemes are being propounded for wide extensions of education facilities, we feel ourselves justified in demanding that existing schools, with a useful record of service and able to adapt themselves to changing conditions, should receive generous rather than grudging recognition and help. CHRISTCHURCH CONFERENCE “I understand that during the present year the changes recommended by the Consultative Committee on Post-Prim-ary Schools have hung fire, that the revised salary and classification schemes have remained in a state of muddle, and that the Minister’s promise to set up a special committee to investigate all matters concerning teachers in post-prim-ary schools is likely to be fulfilled only if pressure is unrelenting. In these circumstances the Minister’s recent conference in Christchurch seems hardly likely to yield immediate or even early fruits. It will be unfortunate if the Minister, in his zeal for discussion of reforms, should alienate the sympathy of board members giving voluntary service.”

The chairman stated that since the celebrations in 1937, which marked the completion of the first 25 years of the life of the Technical College, no fewer than 2800 new pupils had entered the school. This was wonderful evidence of the faith of Southland parents in the value of the training given, a training for happy, full and useful living in accordance with the innate talents and developed skills of individual boys and girls. Mr G. Skipworth, representing the Qld Students’ Association, and the principal (Mr C. A. Stewart) also spoke. Songs were sung by the girls, under the direction of Mr Charles Martin, and by the boys, under the direction of Mr Kennedy Black. Prizes and certificates were presented by Mrs Tait, Mrs Hamilton, Mrs McKinnell and Miss E. Rae. A pencil sketch of Mr G. Hill, who before his appointment as principal to the Timaru Technical High School, was a member of the staff for 15 years, and a water colour, both by the school art teacher, Mr T. H. Jenkin, were presented to the school, the chairman accepting the gift on behalf of the board. The water colour was presented by Mr Hill and the pencil sketch by Mr Jenkin.