Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 25 October 2012

“Technical Memories (Part 32) –Before the Technical Commission”

Standing before the Technical Commission of the Irish Free State in November 1926, the Cork group representing technical education in the city made their views known. The provision of funds for the erection of technical schools was a pressing need as instruction was deemed to be given in “unsuitable buildings of a make-shift character”.

Examples were given. The Cork Municipal School of Commerce was housed in premises, built as an ordinary dwelling house on Jameson Row in the South Mall, and was deemed a “dangerous structure”. Their work was hampered by rooms being of insufficient size for classes; ventilation was unsatisfactory and the cloak room accommodation was inadequate. The Crawford Municipal Technical Institute was mainly a modern building, which although opened in 1911, had for many years proved inadequate to accommodate the classes in a suitable manner. Students were turned away in large numbers each session owing to the need for additional rooms for domestic economy. Another kitchen was required, as well as rooms for dress-making. A properly equipped laboratory was urgently needed for experimental work in motor car engineering, and the housing of the building trades section was poor. The Municipal School of Music was also deemed to be “wretchedly” housed; its rooms were unsatisfactory.

On the subject of Day Technical Schools, the Cork delegation pressed for day courses to be held to meet the needs of students who had left primary and secondary schools and who had not yet entered into a business, as well as for those who had embarked on a business career; the former could continue their education by full time attendance at such classes, and then the latter by part time attendance. Attendance at these courses was proposed to be compulsory.

A junior technical evening course was proposed for students, who had left the day primary or secondary schools, but were not yet in a position to say what career was open to them. Courses of instruction suitable for individual centres and needs could be built from the following subjects, English, Irish, geography, industrial history, mathematics, drawing, science (pure and applied), manual instruction, physical culture, domestic economy, book-keeping, business methods, citizenship, and economics. There was also a proposal to have continuous apprenticeship courses so that students who were already apprenticed, or would be apprenticed students could develop their trade further. A proposal on career evening courses was mooted to be taken by students who were not apprenticed, and who had decided to follow a particular trade. Students not in a business could be provided with whole time instruction, under one of the following headings-commerce, arts and crafts, ‘domestic economy and woman’s work’, music, and rural science. All of the above could be capable of adjustment in scope and time as may be necessary from time to time to meet the needs of the various technical schools/ centres.

More co-ordination and co-operation was proposed between the university and the technical schools. This was called for in order to permit students from the latter to proceed to a degree, for instance, by the acceptance of their work at the school of a stated standard and as an equivalent to matriculation exams. Technical Schools should be stepping stones for the universities. Provision was also called for public lectures and discussions to be held on economics, history, local and state administration, general social problems, science, music, and art.

On art and music, the Cork delegation outlined that in any revision of the programme for instruction in art, due consideration would have to be given to local needs. In addition, every important school should be controlled by its principal, who would be the best judge of the local artistic trend and its requirements. The subject of music was also one that deserved no worse treatment financially than that meted out to science or art, as under the terms of the Public Libraries (Ireland) Amendment Act 1877. Music was entitled to be placed on an equal footing with these subjects. According to the delegation,“the Cork School of Music had proved worthy of public support, as not only did it draw students from all classes of the community, but in addition to the intellectual enjoyment, which it places within the reach of the citizens, it has passed many of its students into good salaried careers”.

Mr D.J. Coakley, Principal of the Chamber of Commerce replying to questions, said that the keenness for technical education had not developed to the point that they could increase the fees very much. He alluded to the average attendance for the past five sessions (1921-1926) in the Schools of Art, Commerce and Music, and the Technical Institute were between 360 and 400 students. Speaking of the night classes, the students were at business all day, and provided a “good deal of backbone” to attend classes at night. Therefore, any little difficulty such as increased fees was bound to keep them away. Mr. King, in answering a question from the commission, said that with reference to the domestic classes in the technical institute the day students paid fees of 15s per session.

To be continued…

Caption:

664a. D.J Coakley, Principal of Cork Chamber of Commerce (source: Cork: Its Commerce and Trade, 1919)