Imperial College of Science and Technology

Technical education in Northern Ireland is mainly derived from the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction which was set up in Dublin by an Act of 1899. Under this Act county boroughs, urban districts and counties which struck a spe cial rate for the purpose were enabled to receive grants for ap proved schemes of technical instruction. The Northern Ireland Education Act of 1923 made the City Councils of Belfast and Lon donderry and the six county councils the education authorities for their own areas. Twenty-five technical schools have been trans ferred to the County Education Authorities. The special rate for technical education disappeared as a rule and the general rate for education took its place. In 1926-27, 23,704 students were in attendance at technical schools and a system of junior technical and day commercial schools had been inaugurated. A trade scholarship scheme is in operation and apprentice scholarship courses are held.

The Department of Education set up in 1924 took over the functions of the Technical Instruction Branch of the Depart ment of Agriculture and Technical Instruction established by the Agricultural Technical Instruction (Ireland) Act, 1899. Technical instruction schemes are now all under the management of local Statutory Committees, State grants being contingent on the raising of a local contribution from the rates. The chief technical schools are at Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Rathmines, Tralee, Waterford. In 1927, the total number of students enrolled in classes in technical schools was 22,718, while 35,437 students (mainly evening students) enrolled in classes conducted under county schemes of technical instruction elsewhere than in estab lished technical schools. Instruction in the Irish language forms the largest portion of the work done in the county schemes. The Local Government (Temporary Provisions) Act empowered coun cils to strike a rate not exceeding id. in the of rateable valuation for instruction in Irish, the administration being placed in the hands of the committees of technical instruction. In preparation for employment in trades, there are ten trades preparatory schools, the largest of which is at Cork. The Report of the Com mission on Technical Education, which was issued in 1927, re ferred to the meagreness of technical instruction, particularly in rural areas.

Australia.

The expenditure on technical education for Aus tralia is comparatively small. In 1925, the total expenditure on maintenance was £599,077 and on buildings £138,161. The ex penditure on maintenance amounted to 2S. per head of the popu lation, as compared with 27S. 1 od. per head for primary and secondary education. New South Wales adopted a co-ordinated scheme of technical education in 1913.

In Victoria a Royal Commission was appointed in 1899, and in 1910 the control of the schools passed from local councils to the Education Department. In Queensland, under the Technical Instruction Act of 1908 and an amending act of 1918, the State was empowered to assume the control of technical institutions, and this power has been steadily exercised. The policy of com

bining technical colleges with high schools in the country centres has proved successful in some States, and peripatetic schools of Domestic Science and Manual Training, housed in specially fitted railway cars, visit the smaller towns. In four States, systems of apprenticeship operated by commissions are linked up with industry.

A Director

of Technical Education for South Australia was appointed in 1916, and in 1921 further steps were taken, by proc lamation, to develop the technical education of apprentices. All technical schools in Western Australia are under the control of the Education Department, which also employs a director of technical education. In Tasmania, a trained technologist was appointed as organiser in 1917, and a Technical Education Branch established in 1918.

New Zealand.—Technical schools are well distributed through out New Zealand. Any young person between 14 and 17 years of age who is not otherwise receiving a suitable education may be compelled to attend a technical or continuation class. Although not yet in full operation, these compulsory powers have been applied to a number of school districts.

Canada.—Technical education in Canada is now organised in accordance with the Dominion Technical Education Act of 1919. In 1926, the number of municipalities providing day and evening schools was 238, the teachers employed numbered 3,478 and the number of students enrolled was 88,961. The Federal grants amounted to nearly one million dollars, the grants to local boards to nearly two million dollars.

South Africa.

As the outcome of a conference at Durban in 1924, vocational education in South Africa was transferred from Provincial to Union control. Under the Union Education Department there were in 1926-27 seven technical colleges, seven teen part-time technical schools and thirteen departmental trades, housecraft and agricultural schools. These schools were attended by 16,364 students. The largest technical schools are the Wit watersrand Technical Institute, the Cape Technical College, Cape Town, and the Natal and Pretoria Technical Colleges. Technical and commercial examinations are regularly held under the super vision of the Union Department of Education with the object of stimulating vocational education in combination with or in con tinuation of the ordinary school curriculum.

India.

In recent years there has been a demand in India for more facilities for technical education. In 1925 there were 556 technical institutes, amongst the most notable being the Sydenham College of Commerce at Bombay, the Technological Institute at Cawnpore, and the Technical Institute at Jamshedpur, the centre of the iron industry. (For the Dominions see also UNIVERSITIES.)