INDIAN STUDENTS DO WELL

Chronicle (Levin), 11 October 1947, Page 7

INDIAN STUDENTS DO WELL

Press AssociationJ

AGRICULTURAL BIAS IN THE 0 J TRAIN1NG OF TEACHERS „ !

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WELLINGTON, Oct. 10. ! He was glad to support the plea | made a few days ago by his neighbour, i the Member for Manawatu (Mr. M. H. j Oram) for the establishment of a fifth I Teachers' Training .College in conjunc- | tion with an Agricultural College, said s Mr. Ormond Wilson when spealiing to | the vote for the Education Department j when the estimates were under scrutiny in the House of Eepresentatives today. Mr. Wilson said the best place for the I establishment of the new training eol- | lege was undoubtediy Palmerston j N orth. ! The vital thing was to locate a | Teachers' Training College near toan j Agricultural College so that. the teachers could associate their training with agricultural activities. The success of the scheme whiclx has euabled Indian students to attend Massey College for the past two years, was stressod by Mr. Wilson. The students' fees, he said, were paid by the. Government of India. The sclieme was valuable not only for the insight it gave visiting students into dairying and other farm practice in New Zealand but also for the knowledge of this country which the students carried awav with tliem. That the Indian students had done well and were popular, was sliown by the faet that last year oue of them was president of the .Students' Association. Mr. Wilson exprcssed the hope that in spite of accommodation difficulties, the system would be continued and extended. There was at present no direct contact between the New Zealand Government and the new Governments of India and Pakistan but he suggested that it would be an excellent step on the part of the New Zealand Government to make some arrangement with those Governments for bringing more students here under Government sponsorship, instead of as hitherto by the courtesy of individual colleges. "If the Government came intci the picture it would be a spleiulid example of Commonwealth cooperation, " suggested Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson also urged that the council of Massey College, together with the councils of other university colleges, should be allowed more autonomy in determining the detailed expenditure of money tliey received each year from the Education Department, While this would uieau a major alteration in the present departmental method of supervising expenditure it would be a progressive step to reduce departmental coutrol to a minimum. . Wherever possible lump sunis should be ; niade available to' the educational I authorities whiclf should be left to . deterrnine their own system of priorities in expenditure. The Minister of Education, Mr. II. G. R. Mason, replying to Mr. Wilson, agreed that tlie establishment of anotlier training college was desirable but it was a question of how soon it could be built in thp light of shortages of buildiug uiateriajs. Expressing his pleasure at the help that Ncw Zealand was giving to Indian students, Mr. Mason said he was glad to know that sueh assistance was forthcoming without the necessity for the Government to give assistance. The Minister declared that the Government was sympathetic to university colleges haviug more control over expenditure and if they would agree upon a joint policy the Government would do its best to meet them. He would be glad if Ihe Member for Palmerston North could convert Massey College Council to that way of thinking.