TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 77, Issue 6974, 4 October 1948, Page 5

TECHNICAL EDUCATION

ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE REPORT BY MR H. ROCHFORT Mr H. Rochfort, Principal of the Te Awamutu College, submitted to Tuesday night’s meeting of the Committee of Management, the' following report of the Technical Education Association conference at which he was present. The report read:— The annual conference, of the Technical Education Association was held at the Wellington Technical College on September 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th. The delegates consisted of members of boards and principals of technical high schools and members of education boards throughout New Zealand from Kaikohe to Invercargill. Senior officers of the Department were present throughout the proceedings and addresses were given by the Minister of Education, the actingDirector of Education, and the Assistant Director (Administrative). The chief value of the conference is the opportunity afforded for interchange of views among board members and principals from all over the Dominion, and the opportunity given to technical high schools to express their views and explain their difficulties to the Department and receive the Department’s views in return. In the absence through illness of the president, Mr T. W. West, of Christchurch, the gathering was presided over by the vice-president, Mr R. G. Ridling, Principal of Wellington Technical College. The principal matters discussed were:

(1) The character and control of new post-primary schools in the cities. (2) The control of existing postprimary schools. (3) The future development of the large technical colleges in the main centres.

(4) Daylight training of apprentices.

(5) Methods of financing postprimary schools in general, and technical high schools in particular. During the conference, a new constitution was adopted, altering in particular the representation and membership fee. For the ensuing year, the membership fee was fixed at eight guineas for each technical high school, but as committees of management of such schools under the control of education boards have no legal standing, they can have no representation on the association except in the person of their principals. It will be necessary for the Committee of Management of Te Awamutu College to consider whether under these circumstances it is prepared to pay an eight guinea membership fee. During the conference, on the motion of Mr A. Bell, Auckland Education Board representative, it was decided to ask the Education Department to take steps to give legal status to committees of management. This did not, however, involve any relinquishing of control by the Education Board. Character and Control of new PostPrimary Schools in the Cities: The proceedings of the conference showed a divergence of views and interests between the pure technical schools on one hand and the combined or multilateral schools on the other. Many new post-primary schools will be urgently required in the cities in the near future. Are they to be technical schools, academic schools, or combined, that is, multi-lateral schools. The heads of the larger technical schools were most anxious that they should be feeder technical schools to the senior technical schools and under the same board of governors. This point of view was strongly contested by representatives of multi-lateral schools present, but the recommendation that these new schools should be feeder technical schools was carried by a small majority. When the Minister addressed the conference later, however, he expressed himself as quite definitely in favour of making the new schools multi - lateral, particularly because of the opportunity such schools gave to pupils who were not certain of their future to adjust their courses if necessary within the same school.

Control of Existing Post-Primary Schools: The conference was strongly of opinion that every post-primary school should be allowed to have its own board with direct access to the Department if it so wished, except in the case of feeder technical schools previously mentioned. Future Development of Large Technical Colleges in the Main Centres: This matter was before the previous conference, and has for a long time been a matter of anxiety to the schools themselves. It is understood that such schools are to become technological institutes, but no clear lead has been given by the Department, and no suggestion made as to how or when the change is to take place. In the meantime, the building of other large multi-lateral technical high schools in the cities has robbed the senior technical schools of their junior pupils without the expected compensating inflow' of senior pupils. In the meantime, until some definite policy is laid down, the position of the senior technical schools is a difficult one.

Daytime Training of Apprentices: An apprenticeship order in the plumbing and motor engineering trades has definitely provided for the commencement of daylight training of apprentices in these two trades in towns where schools are able to provide instructors, accommodation and equipment. The apprentices will attend and be paid by their employers for one half-day (four hours) per week on the .condition that they attend in addition ’for two evenings a week. Where apprentices in country districts cannot be given daylight training, they will be gathered at a suitable centre for continuous instruction for a week or more each year. Methods of Financing Post-Primary Schools: The present method of calculating the incidental allowances of post-primary schools, namely 20 per cent, of the salaries of all members of the staff for the preceding year, is generally acknowledged to be unsatisfactory and inequitable, and to the disadvantage of technical high schools which are called upon to make much greater payments for materials than are the academic high schools. For example, we have recently paid out of Incidental fund more than £lOO for plumbing class materials. None of

this is recoverable from the Department by way of grant. At the request of the Department, a sub-committee of the association made a report upon incidental allowances, and recommended a formula which related these allowances to day time staff, evening class staff, and area of grounds. The administrative head of the Department also prepared a scheme which he considered a simpler one, and he presented this to the conference. His scheme committed the Department to the full cost of cleaning and care of grounds, of maintenance of buildings and grounds, and of the cost of all equipment and materials, and provided for a capitation grant to cover all other expenses. The conference found many difficulties in this scheme, especially in connection with evening classes and supply of materials and decided to support its own sub-committee’s scheme. Address by Minister of Education: The Minister addressed the conference on its second day and made a most favourable impression by his alertness, his sane, outlook and his evident knowledge of what he was talking about. He dealt with the future development of senior technical schools, with the call that would be made upon them to train foremen and junior executives, and with their responsibility to provide for daylight training of apprentices. As has been mentioned earlier, he dealt with the nature of the new postprimary schools, to be built to cope with the raising flood of incoming pupils, and pronounced in favour of multi-lateral schools which would provide a route for all who wished for further education either to the University or to the senior technical school. Such a school avoided social segmentation which he considered intolerable.

Address by Mr A. F. McMurtrie, acting-Director of Education: Mr McMurtrie in an eloquent address traced the development of our education system from the unhappy times when so many pupils left school with bitter memories after reaching Standard 4. He made a moving appeal for care and for appropriate treatment for those less able pupils who now’ went on to - post-primary schools, and showed how technical high schools with their practical courses were particularly well fitted to deal with them, and to turn them into useful citizens. He made a fervent appeal for the provision of suitable schemes at a lower level in mathematics as well as in English for these less highly endowed pupils. Address by Mr S. T. Barnett, Assistant Director of Education (Administrative) : Mr Barnett addressed the conference on a new system of incidental allowances. A summary of his address has already been given. The following are some of the numerous other matters dealt with:— Heads of Departments: These should be allocated according to the needs of the school not according to roll number. Their payment should vary with their responsibility, and they should have more liberal time allowance according to the requirements of their department. Subsidies: The conference rejected a proposal that post-primary schools should receive the same subsidies on voluntary contributions as primary schools, the view being taken that the Department should provide in full whatever school equipment was essential.

Transport Assistance for Evening Class Apprentices: It was resolved to request the Department to give assistance where required. Agricultural Bursaries: It was resolved to request the Department to reserve a number of these bursaries to Lincoln and Massey for technical high school pupils. At present, all available bursaries are absorbed by graduate students. Shorthand and Typing: It was decided to request the Department to divide these into two distinct subjects for School Certificate.

Gymnasia for Post-Primary Schools: An official Departmental statement was made that the Department recognised its responsibility to provide a gymnasium for each post-primary school.

Swimming Baths: The Department would pay a subsidy pound for pound up to £lOOO.