TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2100, 7 June 1907, Page 2

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

I SPEECH BY HON. G. FOWLDS. I Press Association. I NEW PLYMOUTH, last night. I 10-day tho Hon. G. Fowlds opened the New Plymouth Technical School, in the piresence of a large gathering. The building, which is of brick, was erected by the Taranaki Education ! Board with £2700 Departmental grant, and the remainder was raisedor is to be raised from local bodies’ contributions. There was a large assemblage of tho general piublic. Addresses were delivered by the Minister, tho Chairman of the Education Board, tho chairman of the Technical Committee, Mr. H. Okey, M.H.R., Mr. W..E. Spencer (editor of the School Journal, and until recently Director of Technical Education here), the chairman of the High School Board, and the Mayor of New Plymouth. -

I There are already 191 students, exclusive of 70 teachers, attending Saturday classes, and 000 in the school classes. Mr. Fowlds in his remarks said that modern educational methods endeavored to make the instruction fit the circumstances and life of the pupils. New Zealand had lagged be- | hind -for some time in this matter, hut was now coming upi to modern ideas. He considered that employers could do much to make the classes of full value by offering increases in salary to empiloyees reaching certain stages ol efficiency. The revolution in secondary education, making tlie secondary schools no longer the preserves of tlie wealthy, was costing much money and unless the peopilo of the colony wore pirepared to make substantial endowments for education, the pruning’ knife- would have to be usod.