SECONDARY EDUCATION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 3 December 1926, Page 6

SECONDARY EDUCATION.

WAIR ARAPA BOARD. The ordinary meeting of the V aivara pa Secondarv Education Board was held last night. Mr C. E. Daniell presided. There were also present: Mrs T. ]> Barrer, Messrs T. .lordan, D. A. Pickering. J. McY. Calwcll, 1\ M. Compton, E. L. Holm wood and G. .Selby.

The Education' Department wrote advising that a subsidy was allowed up to £ll on voluntary donations for the purchase of such equipment as a baloptiean. The instrument could be paid for out of incidental expenses. The s'ceretarv intimated that the order had been placed for a baloptican at a cost of £4:7.

The principals reported the roll numbers as follows: —High School, 270, Technical School, day, 120; evening, 158.

A recommendation by Dr. Ettlev that the board should appoint a committee to consider the proposed investigation of primary,and secondary curricula so that the views of the district could be placed before the Departmental 'Committee of Investigation, was referred to the Education Committee.

It was decided to erect “No thornotices on the roadways near School House.

Mr F. W. Martin (Principal of the Technical School) reported that Mr McCormack, the art instructor, was relinquishing his appointment at the end of the*year. The principal suggested that an instructor should be engaged to teach art craft, such as art metal work, enamelling and stencilling, for which subjects there had been a strong demand in Mastcrton. There would be no difficulty in forming classes is an instructor were available. It was left to the Education Committee to invite applications for the position, it being recommended that the applicants be capable of teaching mechanical drawing in addition to art subjects.

The groundsman reported that, owing to tlio amount of cricket being played, the present water supply could not cope with the demand, and he suggested connecting up the ground with the -two-inch pipes at School House. The matter was referred to the ground committee to submit a programme to cope with the future watering of the playing grounds. In moving the amalgamation of the day classes of the Mastcrton Technical School with the Wairarapa High School, Mrs Barrer appealed to the members of the Board to set aside all local and parochial interests and view the matter in the light of what would be the best school for their boys and girls. Her motion asked,for co-operation in place of competition. The present division of schools was unnatural; there should be no divorce between practical and academic education. Unfortunately, the prevailing tendency was to create a gulf between the two, fostering an air of superiority in the brain worker over the manual worker. Neither of the schools were functioning effectively in cultivating all the natural aptitudes lying dormant in the students. True technical education was mostly carried on in the night classes, the day sessions being mainly preparatory tuition for the broader industrial training. Lengthy authorities were quoted by Airs Barrer which all tended to the opinion that specialised industrial training should be laid on the broad basis of a sound preparatory academic education. She thought the high school was' too academic and that the technical school was 100 practical. In towns which were not large enough to develop the two classes of school, the obvious thing to do was to amalgamate and make one composite school, and then widen its courses still further. Mrs Barrer concluded by referring to what , she called a circular forwarded to f members of the board bv the principal of the Technical School. Mrs Barrer expressed her surprise that one of the principals' should be % pcrmitted to - express his views while the other was not asked for his opinion.

Mr p. M. Compton seconded, pro forma, and said that an improvement in the present system could no doubt be oqected. It appeared a very complicated situation to him to try and interfere with either school, and he suggested that the mover should bring down a report showing how an amalgamation could be effected to the mutual advantage of both -schools.

The chairman (Mr O. E. Danicll) congratulated the mover on making out such a good case, and added that for years local educationists had been lighting for the development of the three phases of education in Mastcrton. They had two successful schools, both of which were growing, but n,s a business man who had to foot part of the bill, lie did not sec how they were to give a practical deal in altering the conditions for either school. The presence of an administrator half a mile away did not appeal to him. He thought it a compliment to the Technical School that the principal of the High School should ask to have- developed in his school the class’es which had been so successful at the Technical School. They had two good schools, and they could not destroy one to make a greater school -of the other. Mrs Barrel - had criticised tlu* qualifications of principals I —• Mrs Barrer: “I did not deal with personalities. I referred to no one in particular; merely the qualifications required in a principal of an amalgamated -school.”

Mr Danicll: “The first requirement of a technical principal is that he should be a man of academic qualifications, and in Mr Martin we ha\>e that man. We should not make invidious comparisons.”

Mrs Barrer: “I make no comparisons, but, might I ask, is it the policy of the board to allow one principal to circularise the members, and not to ask for the opinion of the other?”

Mr Danicll: “I think it is quite desirable to hear from both of our principals a 3 advisers on any subject at any

time. I glory in the success of the High School, but I don't want to disturb the harmony or the healthy ri\ al-

*Mr T. Jordan supported the views expressed by Mrs Barrer. Mr G. Selby opposed the proposal. Mrs Barrer, in reply, stated that it a a composite .school developed only in the one direction it was the fault of the board controlling it, for the members had the selecting of the staff. She. regretted that any one-sided policy should have been allowed whereby one principal was' permitted to submit his ■opinion while the other was not asked. The motion was then put and declared lost on the voices. Mrs Barrer and Hr Jordan being the only votes recorded in favour.

Mrs Barrer asked for a division, which resulted as follows:

Ayes: Mrs Barrer, Compton. Cald well. Jordan, Hblmwood. Noes': Daniell. Selby, Bickering.

The effect of the resolution is that formal application will now be made to the Department to give effect to the proposal to amalgamate. In a report presented to the - Wairarapa Secondary Schools Board, the principal of the Technical School (Mr F. W. Martin) reviewed the proposal to amalgamate the Technical and High Schools, and explained in detail the lines on which the Technical School is organised and is working, and the special, purposes it is' serving.