TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 5839, 6 July 1909, Page 4

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

WELLINGTON, July 1, At the conference of' technical school ’irectors, it was resolved that the I apitation for school classes in cookery, and woodwork," conducted by special instructors, be raised to 20s for not less than sixty hours’ instruction per annum, with pro rata capitation ,or twenty hours and forty hours respectively. It was resolved that the Minister be urged to establish agricuk tursl techqical classes in suitable eouutry centres.

ct was resolved that the education boardr be empowered to engage pupil teachers or probat oners and-assistants at manual training classes for cookery, laundry work, woodworv, or metal work, and that after the completion of a course the boarhs should bo empowered to admit such as students of training colleges in division A, provided they have obtained a pass or partial pass in the following compulsory subjects of D except vocal music, two subjects from group throe and two from group four. It was decided to recommend the Education Department to allow a small percentage of the capitation earned by associated classes to be deducted to defray the cost of administration.

The Deaartmcnt is to bo recommended to extend the optional subjects for Che junior civil service examination 4. in the direction of 'domestic sorpice and manual trai'bing, subjects, to allow of day technical students sitting for that examination. The report of the committee concerning the training of apprentices was ado|)ted as follows : “ That in the opinion of this conference it is expected that provision should bo made to render it compulsory for all boys and girls under the age of 17 years to receive instruction for not less than fifteen hours per week at continuation classes, that no employer shall employ boys or girls under the age of 17 years for more than 30 hours per week ; further, that it Da a strong x-o----rommendation from this conference that until such provision is made managers of technical schools should arrange with employers to allow their employee* under 17 years of age oquivalent'time off in working goal's to attend technical abd continuation classl ea. It is also the opinion of the conference that the time spent by boys in attending a full course at the technical schools should count as part of their apprenticeship, the first three at the school to count as one year, and after that time each your to couofc equally with apprenticeship time up to a maximum of thx-ee years.