TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2219, 17 June 1908, Page 3

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS’ MEETING.

IMPORTANT PROPOSALS.

A meeting of* the Board ,of Governors of the High School was held yesterday afternoon at Air. C. A. DeLautour’s office. There were present: Messrs C. A. DeLautour (chairman), John Coleman, A. Forth- Matthews, R. Johnston, J. W. Bright, and W. Alorgan (secretary). Mr. E. C. Isaac, Inspector ot Technical Instruction, was present by invitation. , Mr. F. J. Rowley, headmaster of the High School, apnlied for a grant towards the school bath fund.—-J lie Governors, while sympathising heartily with the movement, regretted that they were unable to accede to the request, as there was no fund from which'they could give a donation. . ’ It- was resolved that the secretary be authorised to arrange for tile necessary gas and apparatus in connection with tho plumbing class. A letter was received from Air. IL. Hill with regard to the winter school for teachers to he held in Gisborne during August. - He asked for a grant from the Board in aid of tlio proposed school. It was resolved that as the. class of instruction was of such a nature as to. come under the “Manual and Technical Instruction Act.” the Board make a grant of £25 towards tho school. Mr. DeLautour said that the question of the winter school introduced a matter that would have to be dealt with immediately. The Governors had been acting as a nurse to secondary education for tho last twentytwo years, and it now became a question if the time lin'd not arrived when tlie Education Board should take the sole responsibility of the District High School, and thus relieve the Governors for other work for which they were equally responsible. Quoting the cost of secondary education to the Governors since 1904, ATr. DeLautour showed that- tlie cost had been steadily diminishing, until last year it had only been £lls. He was not- aware what burden was cast on the Board in the support of District High Schools or upon Education Boards in other districts, but he should imagine that there must he many cases in which the cost to such Boards would be much more than £lls per annum. Thus there could be ho reason why the Gisborne District High School should not be solely supported by tlie Education Board of Hawke’s Bay, apart- from tlie Governors. If this were the case-, the Governors would be free to deal with practical education of tlie boys who leavo the sixth standard and pass away into the country without further education. A percentage of sixth standard boys did go up to the secondary school, but tlie great majority of them, however, left school altogether; He considered that it was the duly of the Governors to offer to these hoy.-’, who are about 16 years of age or less, a practicable education suitable to the circumstances of their future life. This would enable them to obtain a higher economical result from their rich properties than lias been possible to their fathers. The Governors had spent, inclusive of subsidies, nearly £3OOO in preparing for this work. A course extending from two or three vears should be aimed at, and the first year should embrace arithmetic, English, drawing, elementary chemistry, physiology (introductory to the knowledge of animals and their diseases). botany, geology (as teaching the value of soils), woodwork, and elementary work in iron. The second year would cover grasses and weeds, butter working and tho dairy, higher physiology, horticulture, arboriculture. values of foods for animals, plumbing, field surveying, and other branches which in practice had been found useful. To make these special classes a success, a competent director would have to he engaged, whose qualifications would be sufficient to ensure that an interest in the work that was attempted would he developed amongst the settlers of tlie district. As tho present arrangement with the Hawke’s Bay Education Board expires in a few months, concluded Air. DeLautour. It was necessary to deal at an early datewith the whole subject of .their relations with the Board and their future policy, He would ask the Governors to attend a special meeting, at which these matters could he gone into and fully considered.

It was decided that, as the subject was one. of such great importance, a special meeting of the Board of Governors should be held on the first Thursday ip duly, at 3 jj.itp