TEACHERS' COLLEGE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 419, 30 January 1909, Page 11

TEACHERS' COLLEGE.

'.■ '^INTERESTINGDEVELOPMENTS.: y !'• -PROPOSALS FOR 1909. : '; ; : ". : Under the' provisions of the Education Aqt Amendment' ibt,■ '1908,..facilities■'havO 'been. made, for extending'the-., scope of the work of..the teachers'! training;colleges. The now : regulations have already, been fully reviewed, in .TSe. Dominion. .'At. the, month W ;-meeting 'of,, the'..Wellington,. Education ■'■ Board . ion Thursday., Mf ; Wm, Gray; I'rincipaLof the Normal Training College aVThorndon, which is. .the. centre trict's,.included in the. .bpundar'es of thei ■Mid-dlfj'.University.'district-TTarauaki, .. Wangamii.Hafyke's.Bay,;Nelson,Marlborough, Grey, and Westland—rwaited \ upon l the board with, reference'to'dertaih,new.features' which,, undfir .'the; Act;' it waa possible for him' ,to;,mtro-; duce. at ..the , , college,"'■'■ Sir. Gray oxpfessed hiirlself as being' very'. pleased. with, the provisions of.the.'.ncw 'Act; . Provision Vas made for example, for an : increase iri.the. roll number of.pupils', ; at the' Normal School of 100— from ,, 4oo',to ;500., .It was not intended, for the present, however, ;tp'make this increase. -The question of. accommodation. affected this point. It ras proposed, .however, to increase 'the number attending the secondary;'.de'partmeht of th 6 School, iip to. SO;'this, would relieve, to"somevextent, the pressure in.the' secondary, colleges , in',the. .citv, "and .render' ■lessaoiite the'free-place 'difficulty. -The most important innbyatioh, "continued '. Mr. :: Gray, ■ffasthe provision for the establishment of a kindergarten department.'.-It was a■ beginning in a most important department;of school work, : and he-welcdriie'd it.:! The institution/of this v department, would make it possible for the college to , undertake the training of kintogarten- teachers. 1 - . ' '• |' •. •' Referring toHhe regulation, which'provided, for _the':admissi6n''tofthe college , of fife uncertificated-' teachers 'selected , from. small country schools,' for a boriod'of two: years' training, Mr. Gray said thatithese teachers wouldpraoiically'be awarded scholarships of the value of £40 e'afch". '.These, teachers Would be selected for their ; abi|ity—it would be a reward of'.merit , , arid' an opportunity of im-, 'proving .their literary status.'; '.They' would be'iiominated by the vaHo\is : education boards within, the , '. Middle" University 'district: 1 . -It w;ould not be T possible' to admit-one ;teacher from v each of i the eight; boards—it'• Would; really.have-been.better to'fhave fixed'the limit: at eightj not; he'thought, that we?, ference might, be given- to , deserving-teacuers in '.such .widely-scattered-, districts ;as Marl-, boroughr6r:the,\yest Coast,', where 'fewer'op-, pbirtunities -.were offered to .for im-, proving ; their : professional': status and;., experience:', ;Mr:-- Gray concluded, by. suggestring that the other; education .boards be cir--ouTarised >with: reference to this, particular matter, so "that nominations might t>e placed before .the -"Committee. of' Myioe. as soon ■ as. pos?ibie.v- It-would also be. necessary, to ob-; tain forinal : perinisßion from--the-.Education Department with reference to. the establishment of the new-kindergarten.classes at,the v The , board iunanimously decided to take the necessary 'stepsjyas suggeeted. by the'V 'principal. '■' ■' ■ T '.■■-'•• •'"' ; -- J ' ; -'- y "'';'•! .''". '■■ -. ■ ..- ' '