TECHNICAL DIRECTOR EXPRESSES ALARM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19158, 26 August 1930, Page 6

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR EXPRESSES ALARM.

PROPOSED CHANGES IN EDUCATION SYSTEM.

(Special to the **’ Star.”) WELLINGTON, August 20.

At a meeting of the Technical College Board of Governors, Mr Howell, the Director of the College, expressed alarm at the proposad changes in the education system. If he understood the intention of the committee rightly, said Mr Howell, they would lose their .special third year classes and practically all the girls in the second and third year of the commercial and home science departments. The school would consist of boys from eleven to sixteen ,and girls from eleven to fourteen, with a few art girls from fourteen oni The character of the school as it existed would thus be destroyed. While university education and technical education proper would seem to gain much by the changes proposed, it would be a matter for very great regret if this gain must be offset by the loss resulting from the destruction of the fine system of co-educa-tion that had been built up in the technical high schools of the chief centres.

In the course cf discussion a member of the board said he considered pa?-* ents should be allowed to express their opinion on the subject. If the proposed changes were to be permanent he was sure parents in Wellington at least would offer very seriGus resistance to any Government interference of that description.