TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

Hokitika Guardian, 19 August 1925, Page 1

TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

REPLY TO CRITICS. AA’ELLINGTON. Aug. 17,

“A good deal of criticism has been directed against giving any vocational training in the early teens,” said Mr .1 . 11. Howell, in his presidential address at. the annual eonterence ol the Technical Schools’ Association. “You cannot tell at thirteen or fourteen years of age, it is said, ‘whether a hoy is going to be an engineer, a builder or a farmer, and it is sheer waste of time to give him any specialised training.’ As a matter of tact, no hard and fast line is drawn between the courses provided fur either calling—the geometry that an engineer requires for his drawing is the same as that which the builder needs lor setting out his concrete boxing or circular work, while the mechanics used by the farmer for calculating stresses and strains is the same that enables the latter to understand the principles of roof construction. Further, who is prepared to say that a farmer, who is also a smith, a carpenter, and motor mechanic, is not the one best fitted to grapple with the problems of the back-blocks? When one of my old Christchurch hoys, who at school, had taken the engineering course for three years, told me that he was then managing a station in North Canterbury,'"! said to him: ‘What a pity you did' not take the course while, you were at school.' for we had a .specially good course for this work, lfui the boy replied, somewhat to my surprise: ‘Oh. Pm not so sure about j bat I’ve found engineering most useful to me on the iarni. “An outcry has been raised that the technical high schools of the Dominion are training more than enough engineers for Australia and New Zealand, and that Hamilton, for example, is providing enough engineers for Auckland province. It does not. of course, follow that. a.hoy taking engineering is ii> l>o «ni inoio than a boy taking chemistry, is to be a chemist, bill it is certain that bis engineering training will be far Irom Thrown away if lie subsequently becomes a farmer or a builder, or a plumber, as many of these tanners actually do. it is equally certain that such training will lie much more -useful to him than the course provided by the ordinary high school. “Another criticism levelled against the technical high school is on the score of expense. This, perhaps, has even less foundation in fact, for the technical high school in the larger centres has no special buildings, and little or no special equipment; for equipment and buildings alike are used by. and would in any case have to be provided for. the evening school. Indeed it is true to say that the technical' high schools in the larger centres, at any rate, are the least expensive of all post-primary schools. “The criticisms which 1 have referred to are the result of ignorance or of prejudice, hut if they are not dealt with they are calculated to do much harm to a system of education that has grown up naturally to meet the needs of the community, and has been doing so successfully for a number of year” ft is incumltent upon all those who are alive to its value to see that the injury threatened is not allotted to he perpetratedZ^^^^^