The Daily News TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8. EDUCATING THE FARMERS OF THE FUTURE.
The scheme which lias been drafted by ill'. \\. A. BiUhintync, director of Technical Education in Taranaki, witii Hie lull concurrence uf the 'fanmaki Education Hoard, to establish at Strutlord a lice Technical day school, with) a pi-iiL-iic.il curriculum bearing directly J on up-to-date and scientific farming, is one oi the mosl forward moves yet j niaUe m this highly important branch of iLcliuical lidut<il.:oii in New Zealand, it mis been oiieu uracil that tins conliuiiiuion and high schools of New Zeii' land are not taken advantage of lo the extent that their importance warrants, but to us it lias always seemed that the principal reason lay in parents' assessment of the ultimate value of tile instruction given. Kiglilly or wrongly the impression is prevalent, especially in country districts, that too niucn oi the pupils' time is given to study of subjects, such as languages, that can be of no practical benelit to them in after. life. Only a very small percentage of! high school pupils aspire to embrace I the professions; to the others, especially 1 ill a purely agr.cultural and dairying | province like Taranaki, tile land is their ; location. To best fit them to obtain i the highest results from the land and j their labor should be Hie prime inccnI tive of the education authorities, and it | is a matter for congratulation that the | Xaranaki .Education Board and its I responsible officials arc appreciative of B the requirements.
As pointed out in Mr Ballantync's circular the proposed course of instruction will be confined to English, arithmetic, chemistry, botany, biology, veterinary science, book-keeping, mensuration, and elementary surveying; in all of these subjects special attention being directed to their bearing on agriculture and dairying. Parents will | appreciate at once tile nature of the training, especially its value in equipping their boys with a practical and I higher education for the battle of life, j 'I lull which will appeal c\en more di-1 redly to the farming community, however, is the proposal that Hie school be] placed in charge of a fully qualified expert, probably a Bachelor of Agriculture, qualified to teach in the ordinary way the subjects mentioned in tile curriculum, particularly regarding their application to the vocations of the soil. 'The Board is prepared to spare no expense in securing suc-li an expert, even if lie has to be imported from America. In addition to bis duties as director of the day school, his services would be at the disposal of school teachers, farmers and factory managers, whose opportunities for advancement in their i callings would thus be greallv enhaiiI ced.
The advantages to lie gained by Tarauaki's staple industry from the successful operation of such a seliool en'anot be over-estimated. Farmers everywhere recognise that conditions are changing; that the methods of 00 years ago cam no longer be applied with success to their industry. In truth, so far as the average fanner is concerned the conditions, owing to the advance in methods made in some of the older countries, and to the keenness of competition, have changed almost too rapidly for his liking. While he thoroughly appreciates the necessity for everimproved methods, he has lacked tho training necessary to put them into operation. But the opportunities. denied the father arc freely oll'ered to his son, who may start in life as fully equipped with the knowledge requisite to his calling as any of his competitors of foreign countries. Owing to its central position, Stratford lias been selected for tin- establishment of the school. The train services on both sides are such as allow of travelling pupils attending during the full day, the capitation being therefore a much more eonsideiiilil-,' iiein than it would be were the seliool established elsewhere.
From the point of view also of the pupils, whose school time would not be broken by late arrival, Stratford is best suited for the establishment of the classes. It should also be rcmembe-ed that merely equipping the pupils for up-to-date -technical training to be applied to farming, would be by no means the end-all of the school's usefulness. At the end of say a couple of years, pupils would have another string to their bow, as they would be qualified to sit for the junior civil service examination, in the special subjects of tiie course. Naturally, successful candidates from the school would have preference for appointment to the important Dairying and Agriculture Departments of the State. The school would also be a stepp : ng-stone to Lincoln Agricultural College, and to the Covernment Dairying and Research colleges. In short, tile establishment of the school would open up new and important avenues of calling for farmer's sons. who. w*' believe, will not be slow
in availing themselves of the exceptional opportunities. Practically the whole of the cost is borne by the l.'oveinmciit through the Fducation Hoard, the education being lice to pupils who have obtained Standard 0 proficiency certificates. A fee will be charged 'pupils who have passed Standard .-> and are over V.t years of age. The Coveriinient provided free railway travelling to and from, the school. For pupils wlio would not bo able to live at home, the Stratford Technical school committee is now making arrangements for hoarding at a reasonable fee. So far as the authorities are concerned no time will be lost in establishing the new Technical High School, and the whole matter is in the hands of parents. It depends entirely on the amount of support in the way of pupils forthcoming. It is therefore to be hoped that parents who wish their children to join the class, will communicate without delay with cither Mr Tyrer. of Stratford, or .Mr. Ballantvne. the director, at New Plymouth. The opportunity of raising Taranaki ri.dit to the forefront in the matter of practical education relating to the soil, is one (hat we do not believe will he'allowed to be lost by the people of this i province.
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 295, 8 December 1908, Page 2
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1,000The Daily News TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8. EDUCATING THE FARMERS OF THE FUTURE. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 295, 8 December 1908, Page 2
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