SECONDARY EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 June 1917, Page 8

SECONDARY EDUCATION.

POSITION AT HAWERA AND" ;\,. ELTHAM. The chairman, Messrs H. Trimble, C. A. Wilkinson, and Dixon, the committee set up to deal with the matter, reported to the Education Board yesterday that .they had gone fully into the question of secondary education in; Hawera and Eltham. The and senior inspector met at Hawera and heard a great deal of evidence from gentlemen , representing the District High School committee, Technical School committee, County Council, Miss McLeod and Mr. Strack (headmaster) of the D.H. School, Mr. Cray (director of technical education), and a number of parents having children attending either of the abovenamed schools. The committee met again at Eltham on Tuesday, June 12, to consider the evidence tendered, and after discussing the matter very exhaustively, made the following recommendations: — Hawera That in the interests of education it is desirable to eifect changes at Hawera by disestablishing the District High School and establishing in lieu thereof a Technical High School, and the Board is recommended to urge the Edu- : cation Department to agree to this | course. Eltham.—That unless the attendance at the District High School increases substantially during the early part of , 1918, the Education Department be reI commended to disestablish the school. | Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, in moving the . adoption of the report, regretted the | absence of Mr. Dixon, who was very ; much interested. The question now 'was : what steps to take to carry the recomI mendation aB. to Hawera into effect. He i suggested that a deputation should be sent from the Board to the Minister of , I Education. ! The chairman pointed out that there were now 36 children attending the Hawera High Schoo-1, as against W last year, and in addition CO or 70 ab the Technical School. Some of the classes were overlapping, and the consensus of opinion was that a Technical High School should be established, at which both classical and technical subjects could be taught, 'Subsequently, Mr. Wilkinson added to his motion, for the adoption of the report, "that a committee consisting oE tlie chairman, Mr. Trimble, and the mover be appointed to visit Wellington at a convenient date and place the matter before the Minister of Education." Mr. White considered that quite a large number of questions were involved in the report. He was not satisfied that provision was being made in Hawera for these desirous o£ taking up a purely secondary course. He pointed out that some evidence showed that subjects were being taken simply for the purpose of earning capitation. The chairman stated that this was not the policy of the Taranaki Education Board. Mr. White wished to be assured that provision was being made for parents who desired their children to go through matriculation and the junior university . scholarship. Mr. Wilkinson said the committee did not wish to deprive Hawera of any advantages they had, but desired to assist them to get greater advantages. The tendency of the Wanganui Board was I to promote agriculture, as it considered 1 this was a farming district, and a knowledge of farming was necessary. Possibly this view had been pushed to I the detriment of secondary education. i The Taranalti Board was desirous of giv- | ing equal facilities for secondary and agricultural courses, j The chairman also emphasised the

t ' 3 point that every member of the Board i was desirous that the people of Han'eni IT should get both secondary and technical education, and if it could be (jot at the 1 one institution, without overlapping, so - much the better. If secondary educat tion could not be obtained at the proe posed school, then hp would not favor s the disestablishment of the District High d School. i Mr. Trimble said there would be less '. difficulty in obtaining a staff for one a schopl. A Technical High School should i. go as far in the secondary course as the - present District 'High School. 1 Mr. Trimble seconded the motion, which was carried, with the addition of 9 Mr. Dixon's name to the committee.