TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1710, 29 March 1913, Page 6

TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

DIRECTORS' REPORT. ; A YEAR OF STEADY PROGRESS. The Wellington Technical Education Boawl met last night. Mr. D. Kobertson presided, and tliero wero present, also, Messrs. J. P. Luke, J. E. I'itzgerald, U. i'sost,' and W. Allau. Tile director ol technical education, Mr. G. S. La Trobe, presented- Ins .report on tlie work ol tlie year 11112. . In the report lie slated:—. "The year"' 1012 lias been one of steady progress and consolidation, of the' woii'K of tne school with tne clianged conditions (~llie to xmauges in the Government regulations. XUuse clianges Have to tar Ixen beneficial to tho school and the students, especially in making more advanced teaching more nearly self-supporting, and in encouraging students to take grouped courses. ' ■ • "The total number of those who have joined classes at the school was very nearly the same as iu the previous year; tho difference being less thun ten. •: The total number .of students who received instruction ha.s, however, increased by over one hundred and thirty, or nearly ii •per cent., the increase being mainly due to the college supplying tne instruction in drawing to students in the Training College and to teachers in Saturday morning classes.

"The number of class entries in theassociated classes at the school has, however, largely increased, due to the students taking grouped courses more, readily than in the previous year. Thus while the number of students in the associated classes has been practically at the same mark as. in the previous. y.ear ? whi6h was a record for the college, the number of class entries is about 14 per cent, greater. The increase is spread over several sections of the college work. "As regards the relative numbers of free' and paying students, the number of payipg students are fewer, and the number of free students-greater than in tho previous year, the increase in the one balancing the decrease in the other."

On the other" hand, added tho director, while the fees for the several classes had remained the same, the total fees received had been slightly higher than, in ■the previous year, showing that paying students had been taking more classes on the average than in the previous year. "The average fees paid amounted to about 265. Bd. per student for the year. This means an. average of about classes per student for the whole year. Many of tho paying students, however, merely attend for one or two winter quarters. The total numbers of students who took grouped courses and attended sufficiently regularly to earn"the higher rates of capitation wero a grand total of 687 out of 1160, who joined the associated classes. Adding to each of : these a number of students in the, day technical school not counted in the above, viz;, 243, the number of students attending the school who took a reasonably satisfactory course was 930 out of 1408, a percentage of . 66.3. As far as free-place students are concerned, very few failed to 1 earn the' grouped course capitation. Out of ,746 paying students, 239, i.e., about 39 per cento took a grouped course, and made sufficient attendances to earn higher capitation. . "Many of those who did not take a grouped course were, however, satisfactory students,'in l that they were attending for special training in special classes, sucK as sanitary science, veterinary science, wool-classing, French, Latin, book-keeping, steam, special.art subjects, .etc; . • • ■ •

1 "The results indicate as usual that the free-place students on the '.whole are better attenders' .than-the paying students. It may be expected that this feature of the school' work'will persist,' and, possibly become more pronounced, since the free'place pupils > naturally -include a higher percentage of those who are reallv interested in learning. On the other hand, a larger proportion of the free'students attend with the object of preparing for examinations; and the moderate compulsion due txTthis has doubtless a considerable sharo.in improving their attendance. ,"The 'healtbful 'influence- of such compulsion is seen in the case of the plumbing 'classes, where the - majority of the paying 1 students • take ■ a satisfactory grouped course. ' »' i "In' spito of the general improvement in attendance which I have reported for the last few years, .there is still ample room for further improvement,\and this as much in earnestness of study as in actual attendances at class." The chairman Remarked; that it .was evident that the year had been a satisfactory one.