29

E.—s

APPENDIX. MANUAL AND TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION IN THE SEVERAL EDUCATION DISTRICTS. AUCKLAND. Extract from. the Refokt of tub Education Boahd. Technical classes in Auckland were carried on during the year at a great advantage over previous years, on account of the new Seddoii Memorial Technical College being available; but, as was anticipated, the three stories of the new College proved quite inadequate for requirements, and the old Rutland Street building, as well as the JNormal School, had also to be utilized. The completion of the College by the addition of the two top stories is an urgent necessity. Domestic science (cookery and laundry-work) and woodwork were taught at the Manual-training Schools at l'onsonby, Newmarket, Newton, Devonport, Heleiisville, i'ukekoho, Thames, Waihi, Whangarei, Hamilton, and Cambridge, and woodwork only at the Otahuhu Manual-training School, it is hoped that during the year the Department will see its way to provide the necessary funds for the erection of similar schools at Te Kopuru, Dargaville, Waipu, Maungaturoto, Paparoa, and Te Aroha. Considerable progress was made with the teaching of agriculture in the primary schools, 192 schools being recognized for this subject, as against 167 m the previous year. The number of schools in which handwork was taught increased from 230 in 1912 to 267 during last year. Teaching of swimming and life-saving was given in nineteen schools during the year, being an increase of five on the previous year. Seventy-nine schools below Grade IV were recognized for the teaching of sewing, as against seventy-two in 1912. EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT OF THE INSPECTORS OF SCHOOLS. it is gratifying to know that school-gardens are being successfully carried on in an increasingly large number of schools, and that teachers are beginning to realize the importance of the work involved, which is now coming to be recognized as an essential part of the school curriculum. We have noticed, however, that operations in this connexion do not provide for sufficient co-ordination between indoor and outdoor work. It is most necessary that pupils should be familiar with actual gardening operations, know the best methods of digging and trenching, learn how to sow, plant, and cultivate the ordinary vegetables and flowers, be able to apply the processes connected with budding and grafting, understand something of the importance and means of destroying insect pests, and be conversant with other operations and processes learnt in the garden itself. But there are other matters equally necessary in a comprehensive course of gardening, matters which specially lend themselves to class-room treatment. We refer to such phases of the subject as the composition and nutrition of plants, the sources of foodsupply, the composition of air and water, and an examination of some of the commoner elements and compounds necessary for plant-life. We not infrequently find but little knowledge of these more or less theoretical but none the less necessary phases of the subject consequent upon confining the course of study mainly, if not entirely, to actual manual operations. The subject, in short, should be regarded as belonging partly to the garden and partly to the class-room, and no course of instruction will meet with our approval that fails to provide for the correlation of what we have termed indoor and outdoor work. In all schools of Grade IV and upwards, where facilities exist, gardening should be regarded an essential subject, and should provide much of the instruction in uature-study for pupils in the upper classes. G-ardening operations and naturestudy to some extent differ as to the objective: boch aim at developing observation, thoughtpower, reasoning ability, and verbal expression; both endeavour to interest the child in Nature and her laws; but whereas the latter aims mainly at quickening the natural curiosity and spontaneous activity of youth, the former adds the powerful economic interest, for gardening operations should not lose sight of the necessity for making the work profitable. " Agriculture, even in the grades, is something more than nature-study: It is nature-study plus utility; it is nature-study with an economic significance; it js nature-study which articulates with the afiairs of real men in real life; it is nature-study in which the child may influence the process; it is nature-study which distinctly stimulates industry." Extract from the Report of the Director of Technical Education and Manual Training. Handwork. —There was a slight increase in the number of schools in which handwork subjects, such as brush drawing, plasticine-modelling, free-arm drawing, crayon-work, paper folding and cutting, &c, were taught, the number being 267, as against 230 in 1912. Auckland City and suburban schools, as in previous years, received considerable assistance from the art instructors of the Technical College—Messrs. J. W. Ash and D. J. Pajne — who paid a number of visits to the schools during the year. It is now some years since similar instructors held classes in the country centres and have visited the country schools, and there is no doubt that if the finances would permit a great fillip would be given to the teaching of handwork in country schools by the appointment of one or more country art instructors.