EDUCATION PROGRESS.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1921, Page 6

EDUCATION PROGRESS.

HAWERA TECHNICAL SCHOOL. OLFICiaI. OPENING. SPEECH BY HON. U. J. PARR. The Hon. C. J. Parr, Minister of Education, officially opened the new Hawera Technical School on Saturday. The weather was bad, and the rain compelled the ceremony to take place ineide the school, but there was a good attendance of the public. Afternoon tea was provided by a committee of ladies. Apologies for absence were received from Dean Power and Messrs. R. Masters, M.P., S. G. Smith, M.P., C. J. Belcher (chairman of the Eltham County), J. (B. Murdoch (chairman of Hawera County vouncil), and T. A. Bridge (chairman of the Manaia School Committee). Mr. G. H. Buckeridge (chairman of the Advisory Committee), who introduced the speaker thanked Mr. Parr especially for the efforts he had made to be present. The school was one the Hawera people should be proud of. He welcomed the country people especially for upon them they depended a great deal for the boys and girls who would fill the school and hostel. The hoetel would be of great value to the country students. To the girls and boys he wanted to say that upon them depended what the school would be. It was a fine edifice, but nothing compared with the high edifice of character in the district which the school should build up. He presented Parr with the key to perform the opening ceremony of the school. He also presented a programme of the afternoon’s happenings, which had been prepared by one of the girls in the school. VALUE Oh' SCHOOLS. Mr. Parr said that he had come on the red letter day for education in the district. Cabinet Ministers were chained hand and foot when Parliament was on, but Mr. Massey seemed to have a weak spot for Hawera. He came to open a building which, in importance to the community, was second only to the House of Almighty God. In New Zealand he expected certain things from a school, and the first thing (even above

scholastic and academic distinction) was that the children should be brought up to be good citizens and men and women of character. Character was everything, and the school failed if it did not bring the children up to be loyal citizens. Good character and good citizenship were the objects of the education of this country. In public life it was not the men with degrees, or with brilliant scholarships and brain power who came out on top or who were respected and looked up to by their fellows. Always it wa«s the men with force of character who were respected, whether in politics or in the street. He wanted the boys to be men who would be good citizens, and lie wanted --the girls to discharge the functions of womanhood nobly and well. He referred to the good general education provided by the school. In the old days they thought a great deal of the old style of academic education. Today they w re able to give different types of education after the primary course. Too often in the past boys had taken a course which was unsuited to their natural capabilities. To-day in this school they could command a choice, and this was the motive in the new scheme of education. In the school they had the matriculation, commercial, agricultural and engineering courses. THE NECESSITY TO WORK. He would say to the boys and girls who were there that there were just one or two other things which he expected from the school. For one thing they would get nowhere in life unless they worked. Anything in life which was worth having could only be got by work. The men and women # who go slow in life got nowhere, and did injury to their own characters. They got slack and purposeless. Some one had said when asked to define “happiness.” that “happiness seemed to lie the result of work worth while, well done.” They should perform their work carefully and accurately. In this country to-day there was too much of a tendency, even in the schools, to do things in a slovenly manner. In many schools there were

excellent results, but in others Exactness and accuracy were not insisted upon, and this was needed. They should get rid of the easy-going methods of working which prevailed in some parts of the country.

But “all work and no play would make Jack a dull boy.” It was the object of education to learn boys and girls not only how to work, but how to play. It should, be the object of education to teach the boys and girls how to enjoy the leisure of life. The education system would fail unless they were able to get into the boys and girls the capacity to enjoy nobly and well the leisure of life, and he knew of nothing better than an appreciation of a good • book. If the headmaster could get the boys and girls to. enjoy a good book (not' the trashy fiction which flooded desks at the present day) he would do well.

FACTORS IN SUCCESS. With force of character, with good loyal citizenship, with a good broad gen eral education taught in the schools, and the children stimulated to work hard and enjoy in a reasonable way the leisure of life, they would have done all they could do at the school. If the school aimed at those things it would have success. He wished to 'stress another thing. If the education system would just bring boys and girls up so that they can think clearly it would have done everything that education could do for them. The great problem to-day was muddyheaded thinking, which was followed by insane and unjustifiable conclusions. Tiie bov or girl who could be taught in the school the use of clear thinking would grow up to be a good citizen. tie pointed out that the Government had attempted to do its duty for Hawera and the district. (Applause). The building was estimated to cost £16.900. Already he had paid in actual cash from the Treasury £16,000, and it was not finished yet. tie complimented the people of Hawera on their public spirit and interest in education. Some five acres of land had been given by the Mayor and borough council It- was just as important that the borough council should take an interest in education that they should mend roads for children who were the nest asset any country could have. He complimented the Mayor council on their public spirit. .(Ap-

plause), The tanners had not been behind either, and the A. and J?. Association had given an area of four acres, which was to De at liberty to be used for the purpose or instruction in connection with the school. The people were interested in the school, and when parents were interested it was going to "go.” It was their school, and they should support it and help it, and remember this when they began to make demands to Wellington for more money. (Laughter). They should help make the grounds of the school as fine looking as any in New Zealand. STATUS OF TEACHERS. In his view, said the Minister, there was a responsibility on the teachers to make the school as successful as it ought to be. He recognised that the status and emoluments of the teachers to-day was not as good as they deserved. The Government had improved the status and emoluments, but whether he would be able to hold them in that position in the new retrenchment was another matter. He wanteu the teachers to realise their responsibility in the great work of education. They could make or mar the mind and character of these little children, and he rejoiced in the fact that there were good men and women on the school’s staff. He dedicated the building to the greatest work any building could be put to in the moulding and making of young minds, and he wanted to convey the best wishes of Mr. Massey for the future of the school and his own good wishes. Mr. Sage, a former chairman of the school, congratulated the community of Hawera on the possession of the school. He hoped they would support it by sending their children to it. On the roll at present they had 180. When the technical classes were opened four years ago the roll was 70. Thus they had increased in four years without the school. Without a school they were hiding their light under a bushel. Mr. Dixon, M.P. (Mayor of Hawera) said that Mr. Parr would perhaps be surprised to know that he had been called to account For giving the land. He was prepared to stand by his action. Had he not given the land they would not have had the school for another five years. He had a vision of such a school for twelve years, and was delighted to see such a fine building. Education nad for many years past been in the direction of training boys and girls to go to the cities. They should raise the standard of agricultural education so that boys would be proud to follow a farmer’s life. The Government could provide a great many facilities for such a training of country boys He congratulated the boys and girls on having such a splendid school, and he urged them, in school and in after life, to “play the game.” Even if they had to sacrifice the highest position they should "play the game.” Mr. O. Hawkeii, M.P. for Egmont. said that the senool had cost a lot of hard work and money to get, and he hoped that the boy-s and girls would be a credit to it. He was satisfied that in putting the school there they had done a good work. He congratulated the district on the opening of a fine school. BUILDING the school. Mr. P. J. H. White, chairman of the Taranaki Education Board, said that they had some difficulty in getting the large sum of money which was necessary for the building. Two contracts, were obtained which were both considerably over £19,000. They took in consultation Mr. Moore, the board’s architect, and he showed them how they count save £2OOO on the building, 1 and it was due to him that they had the present fine structure. The school was a credit to the builders, and he wanted to thank Mr. Moore and his staff, particularly Mr. Row, the foreman, for their work. He referred to the unselfish work of the teachers in the development of those under their charge. The board took a very keen interest in the school, and he bespoke the support of the whole district in sending their children to the; school. He thanked Mr. Dixon for the council’s gift of land, which had made the school possible. Mr. A. Gray, headmaster, said that he was particularly struck with the Minister’s idea of wnat education should be. “Educational reform” was a “catchcry” throughout the country, but he was struck bv the grip which the Minister had on subject. His principle of the pleasure of work for its own sake was just what the school preached, and they were going to frame their motto to embrace that idea. <n the old days school conditions had been had, but during these hard years a lot of good work had been done, for which he thanked the staff and the boys and girls. He had not been in a school in which the boys and girls had given more loyal support. While a boy was sent to a school mainly

to get education for his lire work, sport also counted, and they had had an extraordinary amount of support from all the surrounding sports clubs in the district. and he was grateful to the sports community in Hawera. He also thanked the ladies' committee, who had taken affairs in band for the afternoon Mr. Buckeridge proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the Minister for his presence, and three hearty cheers were given.