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The Apprenticeship Commission. —During the year a Commission on Apprenticeship sat and presented its report to the Government. Members of the Commission included Dr. C. E. Beeby, Director of Education, Mr. E. C. Renyard, Superintendent of Technical Education, and Mr. R. G. Ridling, Principal of Wellington Technical College. The findings of the Commission must, of course, be of the greatest interest to all engaged in technical education, and the report of the Commission will certainly bear oilt this view. Among the recommendations of the Commission more directly concerning the schools are the proposals to institute daylight training for apprentices, to revise and extend the scope of the Technological Examinations, to have representatives of technical education upon the Dominion and local Apprenticeship Committees, and to inaugurate bursaries for technical-school students. Copies of the report have been sent to all technical schools for study. Staff Training.—While many teachers of general qualifications are needed in technical schools (and these are provided from the usual sources of supply without undue difficulty in normal times), the position is not satisfactory in regard to the supply of teachers of practical subjects, more particularly those for the advanced or technological stages. It may be stated with some confidence that the new salaries scale makes the transition from industry to teaching much easier than before from the angle of remuneration for services, but the difficulties of selecting suitable persons for teaching and of giving them at least the beginnings of training in teaching methods still remain. Proposals are now under consideration for providing such minimum training, and these, if approved, will at any rate enable a start to be made on the problem of technical-teacher training. There is, however, a collateral problem —namely, how to keep teachers in touch with industry and with the actual world of work after they have been teaching for a number of years and have perhaps become important members of staffs. It is clear that some opportunities of periodic return to industry, coupled with possibilities of travel to other countries, will be necessary if a complete solution of this problem is to be attained. The Technological Examinations,• —As in the two previous years, schools were permitted to accredit candidates for the preliminary and intermediate stages of all subjects. Einal examinations were held by the Department in the subjects of cabinetmaking (1 candidate, 1 pass), carpentry and joinery (8 candidates, 3 passes), and in plumbing (6 candidates, 5 passes). Music in Technical Schools.—Nothing has been more remarkable than the growth of the practice of music, both vocal and instrumental, in the last few years. The movement first became noticeable in the Dunedin Technical School under the leadership of Dr. Vernon Griffiths, now Professor of Music in Canterbury University College. Music has now taken hold of the life of this school to a remarkable extent; but, so far from its being regarded as extraneous to the real work of a technical school or as occupying time and consuming energy which might better be devoted to more austere studies, close observation has failed to reveal it as otherwise than a vivifying and unifying agency of great power. Certainly no falling off of the general standard of work has been observed, rather, on the contrary, standards of work and of esprit de corps have been raised. Other schools whose musical work may be mentioned are the technical schools at Petone and Wellington, both of which have good choirs and orchestras ; and, in general, it may be said that interest in the performance of music has been quickened in almost all schools. That such an advance should have been made after five years of war is a tribute to the energy and devoted service of the organizers of these movements. Many difficulties have had to be faced and overcome, not the least of which has been the difficulty of obtaining musical scores, and particularly of musical instruments of all kinds. Secondary Schools Inspectorial Staff.—The responsibilities of the inspectorate have been greatly increased during the year owing (1) to the increased rolls of schools, (2) to the increased number of registered private secondary schools, (3) to the introduction of accrediting, and (4) to the demands made by schools in the interpretation of the proposed changes in the curriculum. To give some relief, Mr. E. R. G. Aitken, M.A., 8.C0m., of the permanent staff of Waimate High School, and at the time Acting Lecturer in Geography at the Christchurch Training College, was appointed Inspector of Secondary Schools. Mr. Aitken took up his duties in September. School Rolls.—The raising of the school leaving age has had a marked effect on the rolls of secondary schools. The following arc the numbers enrolled on Ist March for the past three years :—- 1943. 1944. 1945. Secondary schools (39) .. .. .. 16,218 18,573 20,042 Combined schools (7) .. .. .. 3,276 3,639 3,846 The increase cannot be considered as due solely to the raising of the leaving age. An important additional factor is the heightened appreciation on the part of parents of a longer secondary course of training. This increase in rolls has caused difficulty in accommodation. Permanent buildings cannot be provided in sufficient quantity owing to the shortage of labour and materials. In Auckland the difficulties were met partly by the establishment of the new Avondale Technical High School, but, in the main, relief has been given by the provision of pre-fabricated class-rooms at the following schools : Auckland Grammar School, Mount Albert Grammar School, Takapuna Grammar School, Gisborne High School, Hutt Valley High School, Wellington Girls' College, Christchurch Boys' High School, Christchurch West High School, Waitaki Boys' High School, and Waitaki Girls' High School. This is a partial solution only, as the pressure on laboratory and special class-room accommodation remains. Private Registered Secondary Schools.—During the year provisional registration was granted to four private secondary schools. The rolls of the endowed schools and registered schools increased from 6,926 on Ist July, 1943, to 7,847 on Ist July, 1944. Staffing and Salary Regulations.• —In so far as secondary schools are concerned, the new regulations have meant the abandoning of the old classification of assistant teachers into four groups, A, B, C, and D, and their reclassification into five divisions. The number of senior (Grade V) positions is now onesixth of the total number of assistants in each school. A new appointment, that of first assistant, is now made legal in all schools with a roll of 300 or over,

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