The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons. Motto: Public service. FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 1920. MANUAL AND TECHINCAL TRAINING.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 525, 23 April 1920, Page 2

The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons. Motto: Public service. FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 1920. MANUAL AND TECHINCAL TRAINING.

Unexampled facilities are afforded the present generation of adolescents for securing manual and technical training, but, largely owing to difficulties incidental to new enterprises, and to misconceptions on the part of parents as to the real purpose of such training, great opportunities are being wasted. As the words imply, manual training has for its object the training of the hands, and technical tuition the giving of instruction. Many parents are disappointed because theii" sons, after having had about two hours training each week for about forty weeks in the year, or eighty hours in all, are not comparable in efficiency with the finished tradesman who has spent five years, eight hours per day, at a trade. The folly of such expectations only needs pointing out by this comparison to make the illogical reasoning very obvious. But disappointment must inevitably follow where wrong premises exist. The real object of manual training is to train the hand and eye so that, whatever work a lad may do in after life lie may bring a trained hand and eye to bear on it; also, manual training forms an extra and important approach to the intelligence, for it is a psycological certainty that particular areas of the brain are connected with various muscles, and the those muscles (especially of the hand) develops the corresponding portions of the brain. How vastly important this "learning by deing" is may be readily understood when we reflect that all the work of the world is done by the instrumentality of muscles: we write, build, speak, play; in short, we do everything, from the cradle to the grave, more or less by means of our muscles. And it is the better way to learn how to do things. In the past Ihe mistake has been made of making the instruction too bookish and theoretical, of separating learning from doing, beauty from utility, and of constructing articles that were of no earthly use after they were finished. Happily, better principles now guide the educational authorities. Art is wedded to utility, and things made by way of example and instruction must serve some useful purpose, and be artistic. This combination of the useful and the beautiful is especially aimed for during the present winter at the Pukekohe Technical School classes, especially in the woodworking section, which is under an instructor who has thoroughly imbibed the latest trend of thought on matters pertaining to manual and technical training. Unfortunately, from one cause and another, the classes are not at all well attended, though the Education Board is vested with ample powers to enforce attendance. The Board should make close enquiries to find out if theie is r.ny uniformly obnoxious element in connexion with the Pukekohe School, and if so, remove that element promptly, and theieafter enforce the attendance of eligible scholars with all the powers at its command. Theie might be some friction and grumbling, but the good sense of the public would be in favour of the Board's attitude, provided an all-round fair deal were given to pupils, teachers and parents.