TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18783, 17 May 1923, Page 6

TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

TEACHERS IN CONFERENCE. (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON. Ma v 16. The annual conference of directors of l betelinica.l schools opened to-day. It was decided to support the proposed Technical School Teachers’ Association. Tliat Association should comprise two branches of dire* 1 tors and teachers, who should meet separately every year and subsequently meet as a united'body. Mr XV. G. Aldridge Invercargill/ was elected president, and Mr J. Thompson, Ashburton, secretary The order paper consists principally of talks upon subjects of special interest in connection with technical education, the first oi which was opened by Mr D,. Hansen, C hristchurch, upon the grading of new entrants by means of intelligence tests. . CONFERENCE OF ASSISTANT’S. [Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, May 16. At the Technical Assistants’ Conierence it was decided that to Clause 3 of the constitution there be added that the association shall consist of two sections (1) directors (or directors and boards of managers), and (2) teachers to meet annually under the presidency of a member ef each .section in alternate years Each section shall have separate sittings annually, these to be followed by a joint sitting for co psi deration of topics to be arranged. Mr Jones hoped' that as an outcome of this step there would be a great accession of directors to the association. Miss Robertson thought that the proposal would help to smooth out the difficulty now standing in the way of joint conferences. There was a” big precedent for it in the Secondary Schools’ Association. Mr Marshall thought that the same result would Ije obtained without alte ring the constitution, since nothing in it prevented the formation of separate groups of directors and teachers inside th© association. Mr Williams said splitting up would emphasise differences. He considered it a big assumption to anticipate that directors would oome in.

It was agreed that a copy of the resoIntion establishing two sections be sent to a conference of boardis’ managers and a meeting of directors It was resolved that the weekly service of Technical School teachers be fixed at ten half days, duty on any evening to be counted as a half day ; that the maximum length of a half day be 31 hours; that the services of teachers be at the disposal of boards of managers for 30 hours per week, actual teaching time to be not more than 25 hours per week; (b) that a teaching year be not more than 40 weeks; (c) that as a general rule teachers’ evening service be not more than two evenings per week; (d) that a teacher on duty for part of a half day be regarded as on duty for the whole of that half day : th#t in technical schools there be on an average one teacher to every 25 pupils; that no class exceed 35; that no practical class exceed 18 pupils under one qualified teacher.