STRATFORD HIGH SCHOOL

Taranaki Daily News, 16 February 1918, Page 3

STRATFORD HIGH SCHOOL

THE BEST TYPE, DISCUSSION AT COUNCIL OF EDUCATION. The Council of Education had before it on Wednesday the <|uestiou oi t!i« type of high school most suited to such a district as Stratford, whether a .secondary school controlled 'by an independent board or a technical high under a board of managers, with the Education Board as controlling authority (says the Dominion)- It was m-og. iiised that either type of school con id under present conditions provide allliic courses of study likely to he required by the pupils in the district, except that no capitation is payable for instruction in Latin in the case of a lechnieal high school, and Latin is at pre-;-cnt an essential subject for pupils preparing for such professional careers a . law, medicine, and the Church. It was argued, however, that very few pupils would require Latin in a place like ■Stratford, and that in these case:; some special provision could be made' for tuition of those pupils 1 in that subject. One reason urged in favor of the technical high school was that the very miiise of tlie school served to emphasise the importance of technical or vocational instruction, rather than the general secondary or grammar school instruction, which is taken by most of the pupils of the ordinary secondary schools, ami that under present, conditions it is in the interests of the great majority o; pupils that they should take agricultural, domestic, or commercial course.-', as long as they include efficient instn; - tion in English, arithmetic, and general culture, rather than a course iiidd-liiia-Latin. .Some parents, it was pointed out, were under the mistaken apprehension that if their children did not receive instruction in Latin they were being robbed of some of their rich Is. I; lias been found in the pasi I hat some secondary schools established under Section 88 of the Act, instead of making n special feature of courses of in-itrnet i<.:of a vocational character and technical instruction in their district expected when they were established, have directed the. attention of t.i if ,',,■ pupils along traditional lines uiul encouraged the so-called grammar school courses. It was also contended by some mem bcrs that th,e compulsory studv of Lath: for both law and medicine was not ju-i ficd, and that the sooner the rcuuirements in this respect are amended ice better it will be for one education system. Stratford is the centre of n dairviiv district: the people are cntlmsiasi ie about dairying, and about the courses of instruction at. present, carried or, al the District. High School, where there are some 170 pupils in the secondary department. 'Circumstances are w?; that, the intensive study of dairvim.'. including suitable scientific laboratory work, should be provided in the hi"h school to be established. Further, the people are anxious that the confrol 01 the school should remain in the hand* o ; the Education Board, -which would no! be the case if a. secondary school wc, established, and atronjrlv-snpported requests were made tin': the council should reconsider the question of the tyne > a chool t" be established, and should re commend a technical lush school. On the whole, after the matter w:is full" discussed, tlie eotmcil agreed to evanl 1 : '- request of the Stratford people.