TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 245, 14 September 1929, Page 4

TECHNICAL EDUCATION

RESOLUTIONS AT CONFERENCE. At the Technical Education Association’s Conference in Wellington yesterday the following remits were adopted:— (a) That the University authorities be asked to broaden the matriculation prescription so as to include a greater number of options and to reduce the number of compulsory subjects. (b) That higher and lower leaving certificates should be made available on a broader curriculum basis than at present. That the Institute of Accountants he urged to continue recognition of the accountants’ preliminary examination until such time as the compulsory foreign language is' dropped from matriculation requirebents. That the Education Department be asked to secure adequate safeguards for technical school candidates (day and evening) ,in any system of accrediting for matriculation. That the Alinister of Agriculture be recommended to increase largely the number of scholarships offered to agricultural class students in order to permit their attendance at Ruakura or other State farms. At present two scholarships are awarded in New Zealand. That, this conference views with strong disfavour the recent introduction of a foreign language into the syllabus of Standards V. and VI., and considers this involves a waste of time. Two remits in favour of the continuance of meuical examination of pupils in post-primary schools and secondary schools were adopted. That the department be asked to frame regulations which will prevent teachers accepting a second position without giving two months’ notice to the board with which a contract has already been made. That the Alinister be requested to remove the disparity between tile salaries of headmasters of technical high schools and secondary schools, as previously urged by the association. That the staffing of the smaller schools should be more liberal than is allowed under the present regulations the number of courses is the same, but the attendance is smaller. That the conference impress upon the Alinister its conviction that the staffing ratio in technical schools should be one teacher to 25 pupils.