TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 298, 5 September 1918, Page 6

TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

CONFERENCE OF DIRECTORS

Tho Conference of Directors of Technical Schools and Supervisors or Mi.nual Training Centres was continued yesterday. Mr. \V. S. la Irobe presided. It was agreed, on the motion, or Mr. George: "That the Minister be urged to deviso some method of preventing 1 the present overlapping the courses ; of instruction provided 111 univeisity ] colleges, secondary schols, and teclnu- , cal schools." • . 1 Mr. George said that at secondary schools much work was done whicn , ought to be done at the university, and spccial classes at the secondary schools covered work done at technical schools. Mr. J. H. Howell thought that the attention of the Efficiency Board might , be drawn to the matter. • On/tho motion of Mr. la Trobe the conference resolved: "That advice should be offered to the Department as to a scheme whereby prospective secondary and technical school teachers would' be encouraged or enabled to take a course of training, pedagogical and technical." A committee consisting of Messrs. la Trobe, Newton, Park, and Ho»vell was set up to prepare the outlinos of a scheme. „ . It was decided to ask the Minister of Education to institute a Dominion grading scheme and a Dominion scalo of salaries for manual training teachers. On the motion of-Mr. Newton the conference resolved: "That where free placo girls .take weekly an hour of hygiene and at least two hours at other domestic subjects, such as cooking and dressmaking, elementary science be not a compulsory subject." On the motion of Dr. Hansen it was resolved: ''That a protest be made to the Minister of. Education against the present restrictions by regulation _of Dourses of instruction in technical high schools; that it is advisable that administrators he allowed greater freedom in the arrangement of time-tables and curricula, and that the right function of the Department in such matters ig advisory.' It was further resolved: That the Department be asked to draw up as guides specimen time-tables.and_ syllabuses of work suitable, in its opinion, for the courses provided in technical high schools." A resolution was earned asking the Minister to set up a Dominion Board of examiners for science, art, commercial and technological subjects. The following remit brought forward by jlr. Ivalaugher was "That the Minister be again urged to increase the capitation on manual training and idvanced handwork classes, so as to placo the finances of such classes on a satisfactory basis." It was resolved: "That the Government be asked to amend the Act with •esnect to the election of manager of ;ecnnical schools in vtlie following di--ection''That under section 113, subsection 4 (a), the Words "in any case," )o deleted, and also all the wording ifter the word "member." Thattho maihincry provided by the new regulations xamqjj under section 113, subsection 1 (c), of tho 1914 Act, of the election iif 'members to represent parents of wpils is much more cumbrous than -he circumstances warrant.' " Certain questions raised by _ the •hairman of tho National Efficiency 3oiird as to the details of training at .lie technical schools were referred to i commitee for consideration. One >oint raised was whether beforo fresh unds aro granted to technical schools t ought not to bo determined whether echnical schools in their present form ind methods of teaching fulfil the retirements for advanced education' to atifjfy the national, needs. Another uestion asked was whether the conerence was still of opinion that the ducation of returned , soldiers should ie carried out at technical schools. The conference meets again this Homing, and will interview the Effiioncy Board during the day.