TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3123, 29 June 1917, Page 7

TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOLS

CONFERENCE OF DIRECTORS AND

SUPERVISORS MANY REFORMS PROPOSED A conference of directors and supervisors of tochnical education opened at Victoria Collvgo on Wednesday. II v. Geor?o Georgo (Auckland) was elected cliainuan, and llr. G. J. Park nui) secretary. Others present wero: Messrs. ,T. H. Howcll (Christcliureh), "W. Fossny (Napier), G. Moffat (Tiinaru), AV. S. La IVbbo (Wellington), E. Grant (G'urifitahurclt), A. Mooro (Asuburton), A. Gray (New Plymouth), J. P. Kalaugher (Auckland), .1. H. Lynskey (Potojie), iuid Dj;. D. E. Hansen (Invercargill). Tlio chairman observed that tlio last oonfererjco of tho kiud had been held in 1909. Mr. W. Terguson, chairman of the National Efficiency Board, nnd Messrs. T. Ballinger, Mainland, 0. J. "Ward, IT. J. Evans, and W. Allen, of the Wellington Industrial Association, waited upon tho conference. The members of tho association submitted to the conference views upon various matters on the order paper. Dr. Hansen, asked Mr. Mainland, after tho lattw had epoken, whether ho did not consider it most unfair that a lad who had been, educated at a technical college should have to servo a five years' apprenticeship side by side with a lad from the primary schools who had ho grounding in ' mathematics or anything of that kind. Would the trado, asked Dr. Hanson, bo prepared to* see a boy who had spent two years at a technical school, start as a second-year apprentico at second-year wages? _Mr. Mainland replied that no boy, in lis opinion, should bo apprenticed for ess than, four years—in addition to the time during which he had been acquiring technical education. If a particular boy proved to be capable, his employers might bo aTile to make special arrangoments. ' Mr. Ferguson, asked whether he wished to make any remarks, said that be was sure liis colleagues_ would be pleased to have- the views oi tho conference, so that they might lend their 6iipport if thor could. The board had to make recommendations as to what was best for tochnical education, and he therefore looked upon tho conference ias a very ihiportant one. Ho would like io warn technical school directors against a tendency ho was inclined to think existed. They should strive to (ivoid anything in tho nature of machine instruction. What they wanted was to teach tbe boys to be mechanics and not machinists. Ho claimed that it was possiblo for a boy to loarn a certain class of work and bo useful in it without learning to be,, a tradosmau. lt was not necessary that a boy should do work to take tho place of tho machine-mado article, but to possess tlio ability to do so mado him it better man, both for hiniseii and for tho community. Specilisation was a very fine thing in largo communities. It enabled Americans to turn out tho motorcar at cheap rates. But specialisation formod a nation of machinists and not mechanics.

The following resolutions wcro passed in the course o£ tho day:— Thai;' tho primary sohool course should bo remodelled 50 as to be completed at tho' ago of 12 years; that full day timo. education, should bo compulsory up lo tho age of 35; that for pupijs from 12 to 15 years of ago such educational provision should bo made that regard may bo paid (0 the probable futuro vocation of tho child. '.

That tho _ Minister of Education bo urged to bring- about a 'better relationship between technical and university colleges, and, to prevent tho over-lapping now ocourring to a serious extent, thai; no be urged to refuse to pay capitation or to make grants on university classes doing- work below university standard.' That the Minister be asked • in. tho next Amending Act lo mako provision ■for representation, on the Council of Education, both of technical school boards and of tboso who, aro engaged in administration or insl.rifction in technical institutions.

Phat Messrs. George, Lo Trobe. Grant Howell, and Br. Hanson he a Bub-com-imttee to inquire into an . aJtornativo system of paying capitation on technioa,l classes other than those of technical high schopls, a.nd te report on it to tho members of the conference within Three months.

ihat .part-hmo teachers in Uohnica] «oueges paying superannuation bo allowcd at- the end of their part-time eervice eitber-(a) to withdraw tho payments taade, or (h) to receive a reversionary payment equal to one-sixtieth of the tota} ealnry. payments received jn part-fcimo teaohin? .up te 40 years. That the Department should pav lo rach education or technical school board ■an annual sum to form tho nucleus of a fund for administration purposes. • That the Plumbers' Board be asked fo hold tho examination for registration of plumbers in three stages, the first at the en <lof two years' attendance at technical classes, the second at tho <?nd of four years, and the third at. the end of five. That the Department, be requested to issue a syllabus of instruction in the various subjects taught at technical schools, so that students may more readily transfer from one institution to. another; furrier, that the directors- of technical schools should be consulted in the drawing up of such syllabus.

That the Minister be urged to.eel; up ;i Dominion Board of Examiners for science, art, commercial, and technological subjects.

That the Department be urged to pay capitation to technical high schools oil the roll number at the end of March of caob. year, and that the capitation be increased to a minimum of per annum.

That if the Public Service Commissioner has decided to eubstitnle the matriculation examination for the Public Service senior ■ examination, then arrangements should be made for candidates to paea the matriculation examination in two parts; that an additional language other than English Khould bo not required; that the scope of tho examination should be widened by the addition of further optionul subjects. Thai; tho University Sonata bo nslved i to modify the matriculation examination syllabus so Dial; a. lanßunijo othrr than English be not compulsory, a n<l that tbo evllabus bo widened by tho addition lo Ike optional subjHs of a domwlic science subject, and k subject such as woodwork or me till work, po (hat sucli L'.vtimlnation may provido a lravinjf certificate for technical Reboot students. Tito conference concluded its business yesterday.

Mr. fiynskey (Petone) forwarded an apnlogy for absence. Mr.'M , . K. Browne. ■Departmental Tn-spec-.tor of Teclmical School?, was present by invitation.

The following resolutions were carried: That it be a recommendation fi-orn the conference f.hat the Stato eliouJd make maintenanco alloirancoa to parents where necessary to prevent tlioir siifforin? hardship through (heir children attending full day-timo clai-stw up to Hie age of IS instead of going to work. That attendance at day classes bo mado nossihlo for compulsory atudonUs Viy rawing (ho pvesont mflxiinum of 150 honra on which tompnlsory enpitation is claimtiblo to n maximum the Rntno as that in force for frno pupils. That it ih dceirablo that all Government Departments employing skilled labour should givo sucli recognition in the valno o[ tho work done on technical schools ns is already given by the Marine Department, tho Public Service Commissioner, and ninny employers: that snch recognition is specially duo from the Department of Tiailwaye.

That in (lie opinion of the conference it is desirable that special advice, through a publication, issued by tho p<?partment, should bo given to intending pupils for secondary and technical high schools, eo that they may attend at fho school which is most likely lo develop their special abilities. That the Minister bo rwkod to provido boarding allowance for students who are obliged to live away from home in order to attend secondary high and full-timo technical schools. That Section 121 nf the Act bo eo amended as to provido for a penalty for non-registration. That whoro compuLsory clauses are in

force young persons should be coropollod to attend technical classes from Uio timo of leaving Iho day cchool lo tho end of I.lm yew in which they roach, llioir wveuteonth birthday. Thnt tho Department be asked Ifl nwlin provision in tho Act for ponalfciee upon pai'onlg not providing , iho necessary school books ami material for compulsory continuation pupils. That tho ntfoution. of tho Minister bn drawn to tho fact that Bpeoial vocational courses of instruction aro being introduced lo an increasing orfont in litpfh schools, and that ho hn asked to restrict thoir operations in this direction. That tho privilege of frco education fihotild bo extended to all persons over 11 years of ago who havo loft tJio tiny school, and aro prepared to nttond an ap. proved courso of instruction, and givo a small guarantee of their earnestness; such gitaranteo to tako tho form of a deposit to be returned in full if a Ritas* factory numlicr of attepdanceH nro made.

That wliero there aro schools of mines those- should bo worked under tho Education Department in conjunction with tho technical schools.

That, the attention of tho Minister bo drawn to the inconvenience arising out of tho lack of uniformity in tho times of school holidays. That the Government be requested to lease or purehaso sites for technical schools and manual training . buildings when sncli sites aro not otherwise available.

That the Government bo asked to grant an nllowaneo to education boards to provide for the upkeep of technical schools nnd manual training buildings. That the Department be requested to frame regulations in connection with Section 125 of the Education Aot, 1914. That -the Department be asked in increase tho capitation grant for pupils attending "school classes" for woodwork and cookery from 159. to .-£1 per capita, as tho rate <it prosont paid is not sufficient to enable this important branch of education to hn carried out properly, especially in isolated centres where the opportunities of. receiving a practical education aro very few. That wool-classing be added to the list of manual subiects for which capitation may be claimed in connection with, rural courses at district high schools. That in all schools below Grade ill capitation be paid for pupils in Standard 111 taking elementary agriculture. That'Hie 'Department be asked to adopt a Dominion scale of grading an 3 salary for woodwork and cookery instructors in all manual training centres. That it bo an obligation irpon all era. ployers of persons under eighteen years of ago to givo <liem the necessary facilities for attending continuation classes; that whoro there is already n. statutory limitation upon, tho hours of labour, the permitted hours be reduced by the number of those required for attendanco at the continuation cla.sscs; further, that in the case of ehidents engaged in "blindalley" occupations, tho hours of compti]sory attendance bo double those _ required, in tho caso of lx>ys in recognised ,Tndi* and industries. Tfint wherever .possible, arbitration awards shall provido for the attendance of apprentices at day technical classes for at legist eight hours per week; for the first three years of apprenticeship. That iho "Arbitration .Act should l>o 'amended to recognise, as part of apprenticeship, timo spent by boys and girls in attending fnll-timb specialised day technical courses: tho first two yeara at school to count as ono yoar of npnrcnticeslip; after thai: time, oadt yoar of dny-timo nttondanco to count ns sh inonths aud onoh year of attomlanro of grouped courses at ovening classes to count as Mireo months. Tho confereuco decided to meet again about tin's time noxt year.