TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND.

Progress, Volume I, Issue 2, 1 December 1905, Page 34

TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND.

By W. S. La Trobe, M.A., Director Technical Schools, Wellington.

"Part I. The complicated-. systems of technical education which have been developed in older centres of industrial life, are by no means directly applicable to the conditions of life in a young and sparsely populated colony, and a careful study of the needs and resources of New Zealand is necessary before a suitable system can be evolved. Tentative measures have already been adopted, based largely on the methods of the Education Boards of England, but it is already apparent that a system which is suitable for densely populated centres is not economical in a new country, and indeed, so far as rural education is concerned, there are few parts of the country in which the methods of the Old World are possible. Any attempt to apply them, even with considerable modification, cannot possibly produce the best results, and is foredoomed to at least partial failure. From the point of view of technical education the industrial army of a country divides itself naturally into four distinct classes. These are, firstly, the workmen, secondly, the foremen and sub-managers, thirdly, heads of firms and general managers, and fourthly, scientific specialists — usually practising as consulting experts or as state servants. For each of these classes a special training is required. The workman naturally obtains the greater part of his training in the workshops under his foreman or leading hand. He should, however, be sufficiently grounded in the scientific principles underlying his trade to be able to carry out his work intelligently and with due economy. This grounding in general principles he cannot as a rule obtain in any workshops run on commercial lines, and he must therefore turn to the technical school for that part of his training. It is a question how far it is just to the worker to compel him to expend time taken from rest and recreation for the purpose of perfecting himself as a workman. If the time he puts m at study does not enable him to rise above the rank and file it is obvious that he will scarcely be inclined to make sacrifices to increase his efficiency as a workman. So far then as his training as a workman is concerned, it is the business both of his employer and of the state to see that he gets this during his apprenticeship and in working hours of his employer, for the sake of future success in business, of the State, and of the general wellbeing of the Nation's industrial army. The second class — foremen and sub-managers — should be expert workmen with a deeper knowledge of general principles than a workman need possess. A well trained workman, who has improved himself by devoting his leisure to the better understanding of his trade, and has at the same time the necessary personal qualities to fit him to lead others, will undoubtedly make the best foreman or sub-manager. To some extent his advancement should be the result of extra exertion, or extra ability on his own part, but opportunities for increasing his knowledge and efficiency should be provided, for him, either by his trade or by the State. The heads of firms and general managers, and other " captains of industry," should have a knowledge of workmen and their work obtained, by going through a short apprenticeship ; and, in addition, should possess a general scientific knowledge of the principles of their trade, and considerable busmess training. These men are of the greatest importance in the industrial life of the country, and ample facilities should be provided for their scientific training. Scientific experts, to some extent the scouts of the industrial army, should have a good all-round scientific education as well as a special training, consisting for the most part ofc original research work in their own particular branch of investigation. The questions as to how far a complete system for the training of all these classes in the many small, and the few large, industries of New Zealand is necessary, depend for their answers on a close examination not only of the present conditions of the country, social and material, but also of the probable lines of future development. It must be remembered that the education of a country, especially its technical education, should be about twenty years in advance of its requirements. In any country, but especially m a democratic State, the system must be such that every precaution is taken to prevent personal poverty depriving any individual of the training which his hand and brain deserve. The paying standard of education, from the point of view of the State, for any particular value of brain, must of course determine itself from time to time according to the circumstances of the people, and is in no way capable of accurate ad-

justment ; but the system adopted must admit of the application of the general pr nciple that the State pays for the education of the individual in proportion to his probable value. Such a system has been adopted in New Zealand for general education — primary school — grammar school — university college, and so into the learned professions, and to some degree for the engineer, mining, civil, electrical and mechanical; but although the system is fairly complete so far as the lawyer, the teacher, the preacher, the chemist, the doctor of medicine are concerned, it is still very scrappy from the industrial point of view. This is the more remarkable when we consider how much greater importance attaches to the industrial, agricultural and pastoral trades in a new country. Facilities are, however, now being offered by the State which will permit of the foundation of a suitable system of industrial education being laid by Technical Education Boards in the colony. Boys and girls leaving the primary school with a good record can obtain technical scholarships which will entitle them to receive four years' training at technical schools, provided their progress is satisfactory. The payments made by the State to technical schools in respect of such students, should cover the cost of tuition and management, so that four years of free tuition is provided by the State. The first two years might well be spent in preparing for apprenticeship. In the second two years the boy should spend half his time in the woikshop as an apprentice, and half in the school. After these four years, and the remaining two or three years of apprenticeship, he should be an intelligent and expert workman. The difficulty of his absence from work to go to school, and from school to go to work, could be got over by permitting apprentices to work in rotation, which would probably entail having a larger number of apprentices in -the trade than is at present allowed, but would not entail having a larger proportion m the workroom than is now allowed m proportion to the number of journeymen. Considering that this is a young and rapidly growing country, and also that it is a country m which the proportion of young people is very high, the proposal appears to be sound, especially as it applies only to the pick of the primary school children. (To be continued )