E.—s

6

Character and Quality of Instruction.—ln the last ten years the distribution of evening students over the various courses offering in the technical schools has changed very considerably. This is clearly seen by comparing the percentages of students in different occupations. The following table gives a comparison between the years 1914 and 1926 :—

Occupations of Pupils at Technical Classes other then Classes at Technical High Schools or Technical Day Schools, Years 1914 and 1926, by Percentages.

The large diminution in the percentage following domestic and agricultural pursuits is due mainly to the cessation of classes in small country centres, which were sedulously fostered before the war but were largely discontinued in consequence of the slump of 1920. and have not since recovered. The number of centres at which classes were held in 1914 was 138 ; in 1926 it was 50. On the other hand, students from the engineering and building trades have increased from 12-9 per cent, to 25-4 per cent, of the total, and other trades have also increased. The wide range of occupations represented indicates also the varied demands made on the schools for instruction. The courses necessarily include subjects of general education, such as English, science, mathematics, history, geography, civics, economics, &c., since these are all important subjects in the vocational training of the students. For their evening work, therefore, the schools must possess the staff, buildings, and equipment required not only for specific trade subjects, but also for subjects of general education, which, however, must usually be treated in co-ordination with technological subjects. It is to be remembered that a large proportion of the evening students in technical schools attend as free pupils with qualifications that would have entitled them, had they not gone to work, to full-time day tuition in a post-primary school. In the year 1926 41 per cent, of all the students in evening classes held free places. It is, therefore, necessary that a technical school should possess facilities for training in general and commercial subjects as well as for industrial and domestic pursuits. This involves the provision of adequate class-rooms, laboratories, and workshops, with a competent teaching staff and a specially developed administration for maintaining the evening work at an efficient level, besides keeping the school as closely correlated as possible with the needs of commerce and industry. The evening school can be run at, the most, for twelve hours weekly, and therefore is unable to arrange full-time occupation for the teachers unless it provides day instruction. Moreover, it is not economical to maintain buildings, sites, and administration for evening work only, when they can just as easily be run full time both day and evening, thus reducing overhead charges on the evening work by nearly two-thirds. There are also great advantages from the educational point of view in establishing day classes in technical schools. It is found that old day pupils are among the best evening students, especially as they generally bring into the evening classes a school spirit and loyalty which are most valuable factors in the evening work. The development of the technical high school, which has been very rapid during the last ten years, is, therefore, based on sound economic and educational principles —on sound economic principles since it ensures, the full use of buildings, sites, equipment, teaching-power, and administration, and on sound educational principles since it promotes the continuous development of the pupil as a loyal member of an institution whose honour and reputation it is his privilege to maintain and increase from the time of his leaving the primary school to that at which as a trained citizen he has completed

Percentage of Total Enrolment. Occupation. 1914. 1926. Domestic pursuits . . .. .. . . . . . . 20-0 12-6 Dressmakers, milliners, tailoresses, &c. .. . . .. 2-3 T5 22-3 14-1 Professional .. .. .. .. . . . . 17-0 6-3 Clerical . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 12-3 19-8 Employed in shops and offices . . . . .. . . 7-1 8-0 364 34-1 Students .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 13-2 12-5 Engineers and mechanics .. .. .. . . . . 3-9 64 Electricians . . .. .... . . . . 14 3-9 Plumbers, sheet-metal workers, &c. .. .. .. . . 3-7 64 Woodworkers . . .... . . .. . . 34 7-2 Painters, plasterers, &c. .. .. .. .. .. 0-8 1*5 — 12-9 25-4 Agricultural pursuits . . . . . . . . . . 9-3 1*2 Labourers . . . . .. .. . . .. 1-7 0-8 Printers, &c. .. . . . . . . .. .. 1-0 1-2 Other trades and industries .. . . . . .. . . 1-8 5-8 2-8 — 7-0 Occupations not returned . . . . . . .. . . 14 4-9 100-0 100-0