AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4333, 21 October 1921, Page 2 (Supplement)

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

FARM COLLEGE AT RUAKURA. AN IMPORTANT PROPOSAL. MR. J. P. KALAUGHER’S REPORT. z The following is a report, submitted by the Supervisor .of Manual and k - Technical Education to the Auckland Education Board, and approved by that body on September 7. It .will be seen '.that particular stress is laid upon the provision at Ruakura Government Farm of Instruction of suitable accommodation for those desirous of attending shprt courses of instruction. A more important question still is dealt with, viz., the .es'tablishr ing of an Agricultural Farm School or College at Ruakura with a special teaching staff in addition to the general staff of the farm. In the primary schools due provision is made for the pupils to receive a training in nature study and schppi garden work. In sortie of the secondary and technical schools further instruction in elementary agriculture and the basic sciences is provided, but there is uo educational institution for the boy - who has spent two or three years in a secondary or a technical school and who desires tp continue his training in the art. and science pfl agriculture. To make adequate provision for,, those boys is the most urgent need in connection with the agricultural education in New Zealand at the present time, and if a farm college were established at Ruakura there need be.no doubt as to is success—that would be absolutely certain. Such a school or college would’ fit in with any modification of agricultural education methods in the future. MR. KALAUGHER’S'REPORT. Short Courses of Instruction. If suitable buildings were prpvided a,t Ruakura, students from the following schools would undoubtedly avail themselves of the opportunities for short courses in agriculture at Ruakura every year. District High School bpys.—There are 14 District, High Schools in the province, and at least 120 secpnd-year boys should visit Ruakura. Technical High Schools. —Pukekohe Technical High School and the Auckland Seddon Memorial Technical College would each send 30 boys yearly : Whangarei High School, 30; King’s College, 40; Sacred Heart College, 40 : Training College students (male) 80 '. Teachers’ Farm School 60 pr 80. Ruakura, with suitable accommodation, would be an. ideal place for conducting teachers’ courses for •‘.hie . practical work for “D” and “G” certificates in. agriculture, botany, and dairy science..; Farmers’ Short Courses.—The great success which has attended the Farmers’ Farm School! shows the need, that exists for such epurses, and there is no doubt but that short courses for .beekeepers,, orchardists, and poultry-keepers would be equally successful, and that interested persons would come from all parts of the pro- . vince and from other parts of the ' North Island. Women’s Classes. ' There is one important feature of short course work which has not been tried in .New Zealand. As eevryone is aware, the womed of the farm have; ‘ always a great deal of work tp do, and that work often of the most laborious and exacting nature under conditions which are in mapy cases far from ideal. Every effort should be made' to make the life of, the women’ of the farm as pleasant as possible,, and I consider that the Education Board should ask permission from the Department of Agriculture tp organise a women’s week of instruction at Ruakura. The subjects to be dealt with might include such as apiary work, poultry work, orchard) work,' dairy science, horticulture, home . planning, hygiene, first aid, cookery,, fruit preserving, millinery and dressmaking, If such a course were arranged for one week during the surn- , mer, I am- sure that the results would be most pleasing, • . . Resolution Adopted. . In dealing with this very important subject I wish, first of all, to draw the attention of the Board to some of the resolutions passed by a. conference between the Departments of Agriculture and Education which I attended in Wellington in August, 1920. These resolutions were adopted by the Technical Schools Conference ar 1920 and 1921, and they were ad,opted by the Council of Agriculture, which met last month in Wellington. It will

be seen, therefore, that they have received the approval! of all those most competent of judging the matter. (No action has, however, been taken by the Minister of Agriculture.) 1. That, special encouragement, in advance of present arrangements,, be . given ito students of training colleges who shpw a special aptitude for agricultural woih to proceed to an agricultural college to complete .their training. 2. That farm schools should be established in cpnnection with Government, Experimental Farms under the Department of Agriculture wherever ■the demand for instruction .warrants such establishment. 3. That in addition to practical work in all branches of agriculture and pastoral operations, instruction be given in: (a) Elementary Science and Mathematics bearing . direct,! v upon farm work ; (b) English, History, and Civics on general lines; (c) practical matters bearing directly on farm Work, e.g„ saddlery, farm carpentry, farm blacksmdb.'ng, concrete work, etc. 4. That the course of instruction should be for two years. I strongly recommend the Board to ask for the active assistance of ail Members of Parliament, of farmers.’ unions, of agricultural and pasora'n associations, and of local bodies throughout this province in impressing upon the • Government the urgent need that exists for the immediate establishment of farm schools in New Zea and, the first one to be established at Ruakura. The agricultural: education work already carried out kt Ruakura, and the proposed developm.’ut of that Work during the next twelve months, show conclusively that Ruakura is looked upon by the farming community and by all those hd nested in agricultural education as a most suitable centre for an agricultural educational institution. What is Needed. To’ establish, a farm school at Ruakura it would be necessary ic provide accommodation and class p ;d science , rooms for at least sixty students. The manager of the farm would f ave con-' trol of all work, practical and educational, on the farm, but a special staff would b.e needed for ins;* actional purposes. The principal pf the school, who would also be assis.aut farm manager, would require ip be-a man ■of proved educational ability, and possessing a sound knowledge of agricultural education work. The housemaster would have charge of the cultural side, while a specially qualified agricultural science master would also be needed. About threefifths of the students’ time would be spent on practical work, and the remainder could be devoted to science work . (principles 'of Agricultural Science and Dairy Science), English, and History, and Mathematics. Boys who had attended for t.wo years a secondary school or a techni Cal. high school should nave piefer en.ee .in entering the farm school, but provision should also be made to allow country boys (beyond the reach of secondary schools) tp enter. For these country boys an elementary general knowledge course should be prpvided in their first year; for other students the ordinary course should extend over two years. A fee of £25 yearly should; be charged for board and lodging;, and a bond should be Required from the parent or guardian that the twp years would be completed. A penalty should be fixed for failure to complete the period unless there was grave reason for the failure. In connection with '-he proposal to establish an Agricultural College at Ruakura it is well t.o remember that ..the sum pf £20,000 was bequeathed 'by the late Sir John Logan Campbell for the purpose of establishing a Chair of Agriculture in cpnnection with the N.Z. University, on condition that the Agricultural College was. established in the Auckland province. Degrees in Agriculture. The New Zealand’ University Senate, recognising t.he necessity for making the fullest possible provision for education iji agricultural science, has by a gradual process included agriculture in the list pf pass subjects for the Matriculation University Junior University Scholarship, Bachelor of Science, and Bacheioi* of Arts degree examinations. . For the first time candidates, will be able to use agriculture as a subject for the B.Adegree pass examination in 1922. This latter extension has a deep significance, in' that it is likely to influence many who have commenced studies in agriculture in the primary 1 and secondary grade schools to epn- < ■

tinue this subject up to the degree stage. This, .therefore, is likely to be no inconsiderable factor towards remedying the dearth of trained teachers and experts, the absence of whom has done much to retard agricultural progress in New Zealand. The Arts Degree is that to which teachers usually aspire, and therefore this change holds out inducements .to them to study the vei’y subjects they will later on be using in their professional work in our primary and secondary schools. In addition, schools have with reluctance included “blind alley” subjects in their curriculum, for it was unwise policy to educate a pupil along lines which he would be forced to change,, once he entered the University tp study for a degree. Agriculture, until this last extension, was such a subject, and in consequence Was regarded unfavourably. Now that this cause for concern has been removed, secondary schools will be much readier disposed .to encourage its adoption in their currimulum, so that farmers may. be able to give . their sons a higher education befitting t,hem tp be tli.e better farmers of the future,, and not (as is often a very real fear with farmers) distracting them and weaning them altogether away frpm country ambitions. Before a candidate for a Degree examination is allowed to sit for his pass he must, in accordance with Uni - versity regulations, furnish a certificate of practical work at an institu- < tiqn recognised by the Senate. This certificate may, in part,, be issued by the Auckland University authorities, but for the B.Sc. Degree more is required, apd at present complete certificates are issuable only by Lincoln College. To .encourage teachers .to take up the study ofi agriculture, and to enable them to qualify in the Auckland province,, there is urgent need that Ruakura of Instruction be raised to the status of a Farm ■ College, empowered to issue certifica.tes of practical wprk which will bo recognised by the University authorities as satisfying their requirements. This extension will mark very distinct progress towards the association ofi the University with the general control of agricultural education,, a similar position to that which, it occupies in the U.S.A., and moreover will provide teachers who aspire tp an agricultural training with an opportunity ofi securing it. Right S,ort of Economy. Whep .it is considered that, agricultural and pastoral work underlies our prosperity, .and that agriculture- is different frpm manufacturing work in that it is divided into many small and independent concerns—-'the farms — and that each farm must have a wellinformed and capable head, whereasin large manufacturing or trading concerns one competent manager, with comparatively few assistants, may direct the work . of thousands, then we must agree that expenditure on providing for the education of Che future farmers will prove the right sort of economy. The Hon. Mr Fisher, Minister for Education in England, Says : “To save money on efficient education is not economy at ajl.” The State in the higher educational centres in New Zealand is spending every year large sums in training young persons in law, in medicine, in dentistry. We all agree that such expenditure is necessary, but judging by the number of students, there is grave danger of overcrowding in some, at least,, of .these professions,. But there is one calling in New

Zealand that, no matter how much the State spends upon the tarining of young people to enter it, can never be overcrowded, and that calling is farming. By training the present generation of boys we will ensure having a future generation of farm-' ers who will love their work', and who will realise that agriculture offers as great an opportunity for scientific study, as much satisfaction, and as great a reward as is offered by professional life. Dr. Davenport, University, Illinois, ope ofi Aemrica’s foremost education; ists, says: “The fundamental purpose of agricultural education is the development of agriculture as .a productive occupation and of the agricultural people as an important part of the social and political fabric. We should aim in our agricultural educational policy at the making of agriculture a profitable, productive, and permanent occupation until our country districts are settled with a prosperous and educated people—people having the same comforts pf lif|e as are obtainable in other walks of life.” The development of agriculture is a matter of vital concern not merely to the farming community, but, to all of the people of oUr Dominion, for wd are dependent for almost the whole pf pur wealth upon our primary pro ducts. Any money spent on such development work is not an . outlay, but an investment in the, soil of New Zealand), which will be repaid over and over again. The hope of the future lies in the / attitude of the young rather than in the transformation ofi the old.