AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1401, 29 March 1912, Page 8

AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION.

'A CRITIC CRITICISED, Criticising the provision made in Now Zealand for agricultural instruction, 11 v. John Drown, who until recently occupied tho position of rural sciimeo instructor Tor tlio South' Canterbury Education Hoard, and who now holds tho position of Assistant Director of Agriculture in South Australia, expressed the opinion in Adelaide that it was impossible to have agricultural high schools without Having a resident, agricultural teacher. 111'. Brown's opinion may bo correct, says the "Otago Daily Times," but. es (ho pub-, lishe(i i statement might lead U, an erroneous impression on the part of people outside New Zealand, wo have referred it to an authority on the subject of agricultural instruction in New Zealand, -who replies ns follows: "Our Education and Agricultural Departments have not yet seen their way to tho establishment of schools so crjuippod, but from conversation with t'he present Minister I know that he 'realises that these schools must come, that he is anxious to sec them established, anil that, if ho is given an opportunity of carrying out the idea, it will not be long before wo see at least one school of the hind in tho Dominion. ■Meanwhile; tho' Education Department is doing the best it can with tho funds at it.s disposal. It is faced with the present district. high school. system, which in the past has been used mainly for preparing 'pupils for the various public examinations with tlio result that the courso of instruction adopted was mainly classical. Now, however, under tho rural science scheme the course will be mainly a science one, in which the sciences bearing directly 011 rm-al_pursuits will, bulk largely. Ljider such a scheme I am' convinced that pupils ivill receive a fetter training than-they did under the old cdui'pc and these wlio.do not find their way into the Civil Service and the.professions will be better" equipped for other walks in life than those, who. found themselves similarly placed under the old system. ' With that w'e must, for the present be satisfied .and .wait hopefully for tho realisation of tho Agricultural* Collego tlio llihiatei' has in. view."