AFRICA AND EDUCATION

Hokitika Guardian, 20 February 1924, Page 4

AFRICA AND EDUCATION

EXTREMELY GENEROUS

RECRUITING THE BEST BRAINS. AUCKLAND, Feb. JO. What is the attitude of the South African Government towards education was a query put by a "Star" reporter to Professor A. C. Paterson, who has come back from Pretoria University to take tip the position of prolessor of classics tit the Auckland University College. “Extremely get irons'. Few governments with resources at their disposal such as the South African has. have shown more interest in higher education,’’ was .the ready reply. It was expalined that within the last ten years the annual expenditure had more than doubled. Pretoria, with a student, hotly of between six and seven hundred, received an annual grant ol approximately £30,000; Capetown, with tin older university and a larger student body, received close on £SO- - Capital expenditure upon university education had also been considerable. On the Arts Block at Pretoria £50,000 was spent on an agricultural block including equipment £IOO.OOO to which the- municipality of Pretoria added £25.000 for the purchase and development ot a college farm. A new science block was at

present being erected at a cost ot £-10. 000, and the College Council was contemplating the erection in the near future of a suitable building in Decent re of the town for the facilities of law and commerce. Apart irom ilc .-e latter faculties all the activities of ilucolleges were concentrated on a single site. Even ihe college farm »> only seven minutes distance from the h- M tore rooms and laboratories ot the col-

lege proper. AN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. "I notice that the question of higher agricultural education lms been encaging attention in New Zealand, so that some information of what has been done, and is being done in -South Africa may lie of interest." remarked the professor. Tie explained that it was divided into two stages in South. Africa. The first, was what was known

as agricultural schools, ot which there were live, two in the Cape Province and one each in the Transvaal. Free Slate, and Natal. The course at these schools was a diploma, one of two years, and was largely of a practical character. Matriculation was not required

for entrance. although university graduates were occasionally found among the students. The second and higher stage' was provided tor in two of the university institutions Stellenbosch in the south, and Pretoria, in ike north. The course for lho I’.Se.. in agriculture was one ol lour years. Ihe first year was devoted to general science, with only an introdnei ion lo agriculture proper. The second years course was cue in general agriculture. Tu the third and fourth years the students specialised in one or more subjects, such as agricultural botany and •chemistry, animal or field husbandry, horticulture. dairying and a variety of other alternatives. COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SCIENCE. •■The mCs aim was not only to supply the country with highlytrained practical farmers, but also with the resenrcli experts, winch South Africa had hitherto imported, either from Europe or America, while she had also to send promising students of her own to he trained overseas at ransidcrabb public expense. As showing, the eaiormou-I interest displayed by tb»' South African (loverin-u.lit in agricultural education as the no an- of developing to the utmost wlutT is in itself not too rich agricultural country, I may finally mention the college of Veterinary Science established in j 1920 as a faculty of the Transvaal Col- j lege of Victoria. This institution, is j .situated five miles from Victoria. Pretoria. on a site of a veferinan re-e-ircli

laboratory, founded I>> Sir Arthur Thieler. the famous nil thurify eu rinderpest and horse sickness. On Unbuilding and equipment- of this institution. which is one of the most up-to-date in the world, the Government has siient over £7l -50,000.'’ RECRUITING BEST BRAIN’S.

Explaining the live years’ course at this college, the professor said that the first two years worn taken in Pretoria itself, where the students learnt to regard themselves as parts of the university as a whole, instead ol being segregated. Students oi veterinary science wore once in colleges ol their own, and so branded with a certain stigma of inferiority. South Africa realises that, over-run as she was with stock diseases, the losses due to which amount to millions per annum, she has to recruit her veterinary service from the best intellect, that the country possesses, and which, having the courage of its conviction, the Government is not afraid to spend money on what it. regards as the most effective method of insurance.”