HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1964-04-23, Page 4Page 4 - Winghau, 11th anev-Times, Thursday, April 23, 1964
Educational System Is Stronger
Enrolment Increases at Twice
Rate of General Population
BX D.W. SCOTT
Dist. Secondary School
Inspector
The tremendous increase in
secondary school enrolment,
coupled with the rapid spread
of automation and employers'
demarrl for special skills to fit
narrowing job classifications,
has made it essential that all
pupils have the broad choice of
options of the composite school.
The Honourable John P. Roi`arts
wrote in 1961 "No limitations of
educational opportunity can be
allowed to inhibit the develop-
ment of the total creative and
productive capacity of our peo-
ple." "The expansion of
the educational opportunities
available in our secondary
schools should make it possible
for almost every pupil to equip
himself to earn that reward."
Until recently only the larger
centres of population could af-
ford to build and equip voca-
tional additions, but a look at
provincial enrolments show how
many of the pupils of the pro-
vince did not have access to
these schools. In September
1963 there were161, ;87 pupils
enrolled in city secondary
schools and 202,423 enrolled in
other secondary schools. The
cities had 54% of their pupils
in the Arts and Science branch
and 4690 in the Vocational bran-
ches or special courses. The
county and district schools had
many more, 68%, in the Arts
and Science branch and only
32% in the Vocational and spe-
cial courses. Because most of
the non -city schools have of-
fered vocational education for
only two years or less, the num-
bers of pupils in the vocational
branches will increase greatly
in the next two years, and there
will probably he as many non -
city pupils in Vocational bran-
ches as in the Arts and Science
branch.
The Re -organized Program-
mes of Study of the Ontario De-
partment of Education, coupled
with the Federal -Provincial
Technical and Training Agree-
ment, have brought the unde-
niable advantages of vocational
education to most areas of this
province. The new educational
plan permits school boards
"to provide courses that offer a
good general education and are
adapted to the requirements of
pupils having varied interests,
abilities, career plans, and ed-
ucational objectives." (H.S.1,
1964). The Federal -Provincial
Agreement made it possible for
many boards to build vocation-
al additions, in which to offer
many of these courses, with lit-
tle or no direct tax on the pro-
perty of the municipality.
The Wingham District High
School Board took advantage of
this agreement to build an ex-
cellent vocational addition and
to offer the pupils of this area a
broad choice of courses in all
three branches of the Re -organ-
ized Programmes of Study. This
school, along with others, has
brought vocational educational
and equal educational opportu-
nity to Huron and Bruce Courr
ties for the first time. The
members of the boards, the
teaching staff, and the interest-
ed citizens who recognized
this opportunity and worked for
its fulfillment must have their
foresight and effort recognized.
The realization that the pupils
of Lucknow, Ripley and Wing -
ham, together with those in
their neighbouring villages and
rural areas, now have the ad-
vantages of broad educational
options and the latest in teach-
ing equipment must be a great
source of satisfaction to them.
The pupils who now attend
the Wingham District High
School may choose university
directed courses in any of the
three branches of secondary edu-
cation. They may take cour-
ses aimed at employment after
Grade 12 or to vocational spe-
cialization. If they have not
been successful in the elemen-
tary schools they may go to the
high school for the Diversified
Occupational Training Pro-
gramme that is designed to give
them readily saleable skills.
The pupils in this area can now
tnake their selection of courses
as soon as they, and their par-
ents, think that a logical choice
can be made. They need no
longer finish the only course
available and proceed to a.
larger school, in a larger muni-
cipality, to prepare themselves
for the job area of their choice -
or leave school.
It has been said that workers
starting their employment now
will be retrained, on the aver-
age, three times before they
Woodworking in the Composite School
By E.C. Beard
The courses which have been
developed, and which are pre-
sently being followed, are based
upon the promise that any vo- •
cation shop has a two -fold func-
tion to perform.
One function is to help the
student determine whether he
possesses the aptitudes and in-
terests required for success in a
skilled trade, and the second
function is to help the student
become a useful member ofhis
family and working group.
However, there are two
types of classes which make use
of the shops. One type is the
regular Vocational class which
is composed of students inter-
ested primarily in learning the
basic knowledge of a skilled
trade. The second group of
students are those who have a
shop option instead of a lan-
guage. It is assumed therefore
that they wish to learn some-
thing of general value to them,
in order to make use of thisop-
portunity and use it for purely
avocational u•r 'hobby' pur-
poses later on.
Thus there is a need for
two distinctly separate courses
with two methods of approach
to the same subject.
Emphasis in the Vocational
class is placed upon basic skills
which are commonly useful to
all related trades, and when the
student ,reaches the higher
grades where specialization is
offered, particular skills and
knowledges are taught which
may be peculiar to the special
subject.
Intrinsic values are placed
upon the appreciation and need
for work neatly and accurately
performed, and the realization
that "practice will make per-
fect". Also borne in mind is
the underlying physical rela-
tionship between materials and
their application, so that ap-
propriate advantages can be se-
cured in the construction of an
article when these properties
are known.
Practical emphasis is given
to rhe need for adaptability and
skill in the correct and efficient
use of tools and machinery with
'Safety' stressed throughout the
BOB HOUSTON, a Wroxeter, a student at the WDHS is
shown demonstrating the use of the big 24" band saw in
the woodworking shop which has been in use since last
fall as part of the vocational program.—A-T Photo.
whole course.
Importance is given to the
relationship of the topic under
study to show its relative im-
portance in the overall subject,
or in the broader industrial
field. From this method of ap-
proach, it is to be hoped that
the 'path' from school to the
factory door is made easier, and
the shock is thus lessened.
When setting up the course
for shop option students, allow-
ance has been made for the ul-
timate goal of these students
and the course adapted accord-
ingly. This course then, is de-
signed to give a broad, general
treatment of the shop subject
with sufficient emphasis being
placed upon the mastery of bas-
ic hand and machine skills, so
that the student will experience
a fair degree of achievement
and success in his project under
takings.
In the senior shop option
grades, the course is adapted to
introduce basic machine skills
Please turn to Page Five
•
4110.,
OCCUPATIONAL STUDENTS at the high school have the
opportunity to learn a variety of skills. The woodwork -
C
ing area is shown in this picture.
—Photo by Connell.
reach retirement. Such is the
frequency with which jobs be-
come obsolete that pupils are
not trained for specific employ-
ment, but rather have special
training for an area of work
with a broad base, so that re-
training is not too difficult. The
local school is well equipped to
give this specialized training as
well as the necessary breadth of
education.
From 1950 to 1960 the in-
crease in enrolment in Ontario
schools was almost equal to the
enrolment at the end of the war
in 1945. From 1960 to 19'70 it
is expected that there will be
another increase as great or
greater than this. The unpre-
cedented enrolment explosion
will strain our facilities again.
Our boards and professional edu-
cators will be hard put to retain
our present position as regards
accommodation for pupils, tea-
chers to staff the schools, and
equipment with which to teach.
The ready acceptance of the
Re -organized Programmes of
Study and the fine new facili-
ties in municipalities like Wing -
ham have given us a firm foot-
ing in 1964, and our education-
al system is stronger than it has
ever been to cope with a school
enrolment that is increasing at
about twice the rate of our gen-
eral population.
The experiences of the past,
and in particular the immedi-
ate past, gives one a sense of
security in regard to the educa-
tional welfare of the pupils in
this community. The expected
increases in enrolment, and
the probable changes in cour-
ses to meet new working con-
ditions, will be readily han-
dled by a community that has a
a solid core of educational op-
portunity and a modern school
plant.
EXPANDED FACILITIES at the high school
have meant the incorporation of a number
of business machines for commercial stu-
dents. Commercial director E. Stuckey
gives instruction to Linda Webber on a
Monroe bookkeeping machine.—Connell.
Best Wishes
to the Wingham District High School Board on
this new addition. This new vocational wing
was a big undertaking, and now that it is ac-
complished, will provide the area youth with
greater opportunities.
WE ARE PLEASED TO HAVE HAD THE OP-
PORTUNITY TO PLAY A PART IN THE COM-
PLETION OF THIS ESSENTIAL. PROJECT.
SINGER COMPANY
OF CANADA LIMITED
166 SOUTH SERVICE ROAD - OAKVILLE
••l
A
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