A Technical Day School.

Progress, Volume II, Issue 10, 1 August 1907, Page 371

A Technical Day School.

LINK BETWEEN PRIMARY SCHOOL AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE— SCHEME OUTLINED.

The Director proposes that the building and equipment of the Technical College should be utilised during the day for a Technical day school, as is commonly done in the case of Technical Colleges and Institutes in Great Britain. Such a day school has been established with great success in connection with the Wellington Technical School where, in 1905, when the day school started, the entry was 160 pupils, while at the beginning of 1906 the entry was about 280, an

tion they intend to pursue. The optional courses will be as follows :—: — A. Boys.— (1) Commerce; (2) Building trades ; (3) Engineering trades ; (4) Agriculture and Horticulture; B. Girls.— (l) Domestic pursuits ; (2) Commerce. When the pupils leave the day school and enter upon their trade, it is intended that they shall continue to receive instruction in its higher branches in the evening classes. It will be seen that the day school will thus form an important link between the Primary School and the Technical College, and, in the case of those who wish to qualify for higher positions in industry and commerce, to Canterbury College. Christchurch will then have, on the technical side as well on the professional side, a scheme of education as complete as circumstances will allow. It may here be stated that the course in agriculture and horticulture is directly intended to encourage town boys to engage in these pursuits by giving them an opportunity to learn their principles and acquire some knowledge of their practice, and thus do something to counteract the growing migration to the towns.

extent lost. Even a foundation on which to build is wanting; for the knowledge gained in the primary school is forgotten, and the power of concentrating attention has never been acquired, No one who has had the experience of the work — no one even who has considered carefully the Technical Schools' exhibits in the Exhibition — has any doubt that much, is being even now accomplished. There are earnest, able students scattered through the classes who profit fully by what is being done, but they are not one-tenth of the number there should be. The words that were spoken by Sit John Gorst in this connection may be remembeied : — " In the efforts that have been made in the Old Country to piomote technical instruction the great obstacle that had been met with was not want of money or buildings, nor good teachers of technical subjects, but it had been the want of preparation on the part of the young men

and young women who came to take the instruction they provided. I would like to see this, that the Colony should not attempt to run technical education by itself, but there must be a good, solid foundation, a general instruction, and general development of the intelligence and powers of the boys and girls. Until then technical institutions would not be as effective and advantageous as they might be." The Director of the Working Men's College in Melbourne told me that they experienced the same difficulty and that they found it necessary not only to establish a technical day school, but also a preparatory lower technical day school. The director of the Technical Day School in Wellington in his last report to the Minister said : " The