THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 199, 20 February 1912, Page 7

THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

THE NEW DAY CLASSES.

BOON TO THE YOUTH OF THB DISTRICT.

From small beginnings the New Plymouth Technical College has grown to Ik- iin important and indispensible factor in the educational life of Taranaki, till now it is on the point of still furtheT enlarging its sphere of usefulness by establishing up-to-date day classes. The new venture, brief reference to which was made in Saturday's "News,"' was fully explained to a representative of this journal by Mr. F. J. Heatley, technical organiser for the Education Board. It would appear that one of the reasons why the proposal is to be given effect to is that there seems to be a leakage in the number of those qualifying for free places, and those actually attending the High School or the night classes of the Technical College. That is, that there are some who qualify who do not take advantage of their renewed term of free tuition. These most likely go to work straight away, as the high school does not offer vocational courses. Some of the pupils referred to go to the high school for a year, and then "pull out." •The great majority, however, go straight from the primary school to work, as there is no means of learning something about their trade. 1 BRIDGING A GULF.

This is where the day classes at the Technical School will come in. By taking a year or so's commercial or industrial course, as proposed, the boys will be of more use to their employers. A great many of them obtain their proficiency certificates at twelve, thirtr or fourteen years of age, but they c."-

not be said to have, as it was point out to our representative, complete! their education in any respect. To take the course such as an industrial course, not only will a boy get a better grip of the basic principles underlying his. trade, but he will also learn to be handy at home, as a glance at the course shows. It includes commercial - English, practical mathematics, building or machine drawing and construction, freehand drawing, mechanics, chemistry, workshop practice, accounts, etc.

SCIENTIFIC BUT PRACTICAL. The domestic course is arranged not for examination purposes, but more for instruction in the principles of housewifery. People may smile at the idea of Bcience entering into cookery or at a scientific housewife—not that the course is not an essentially practical one—but in these days of germs, pepternised foods and humanised milk, something more than the "rule of thumb" methods must be taught in the technical schools. The aim of the domestic course is, further, to inculcate the principles of hygiene, and it includes English, science of common life, cookery and laundry work, household accounts, hygiene and physiology, home economic, dressmaking and needlework, etc. BUSINESS TRAINING.

Not the least important feature of the new departure will be provided by the business training for those going into commercial life. The course is comprehensive, embracing as it does the following subjects:—English and civics, elementary mathematics and science, drawing in various branches, book-keeping, ! commercial arithmetic, office methods, ['correspondence, sh6rthand and typewrit- [ ing, commercial geography and history.Physical culture is not to be neglected, a' certain amount of time being allotted in each course for the purpose.

Special attention nas Deen given in the sr]]al"'<: 'i ;.!io hours of work. will commence each day at 11 a.m., with an hour's interval at noon. Resuming at 1 p.m., the pupils will continue their studies till 4 o'clock. Not only does this arrangement suit those pupils coming to New Plymouth by train, hut it would also accommodate girl students who are at home. They will be able to take the domestic course between the hours mentioned and still help their mothers in the mornings prior to 11 a.m.

NO OVERLAPPING WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL.

It was also pointed out by Mr. Heatley that so far from militating against secondary work, the day classes will really assist it. The principal of the High School recognises this fact in a letter to Mr. Heatley, in which he says he sees no reason why it should injure the high school. All the instructors at the day (Classes will be experts in their particular lines, and students can rely on'good tuition. > The advantages of day over night study are :obvious and need hardly be recapitulated, here, and suffice it;.to say that with .hia nights free the young mechanic or budding commercial man, as the case may be, will have far greater facilities for/study than if he were; attending evening classes at the Technical. College. The conditions of admittance, stipulate that all those who, have passed the special free-place examination, and holders of Sixth Standard proflciency';certificates—if the latter, were under fifteen on December 1 last—are entitled to free tuition. Other boys and girls 'will be admitted at the nominal fee of £4 4s per annum, payable quarterly. Theschool will open early in March, ' In' commencing day classes at the Technical College New Plymouth is embarking on no risky venture. The system already obtains in all of the principal centres of the Dominion, where it has been found to be an unqualified success, and,, the conditions that prevail at New Plymouth ensure an equally satisfactory result, provided the parents send their ehihiren along to the classes.

The new classes are already attracting considerable attention, especially in the country. A number of nominations have,

I come to hand from Waitara, Omat'a, Okato, Inglewood, Sentry Hill and other .', centres, and New Plymouth itself.