W.E.A. CLASSES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 127, 25 November 1938, Page 17

W.E.A. CLASSES

THIS YEAR'S WORK

NEW GROUND BROKEN

The year's report of the tutorial classes committee of the Workers' Educational Association in the Victoria University College district was placed before the Victoria University College Council last night. Consideration of the report was deferred until the December meeting of the council.

For the first time, the report states, the association had two full-time tutororganisers in the field. Mr. P. MartinSmith, who resigned to become director of the W.E.A. in the Auckland district, was succeeded by Mr. A. S. Hely, and Mr. G. J. Garner was appointed as the second tutor-organiser. The increase in staff had made it possible to consolidate the very substantial gains of last year and to break new ground. Both tutor-organisers had shown the greatest enthusiasm for their work and had given highly satisfactory service. They \ w were former W.E.A. students who 'continued their education at the university as W.E.A. bursars, and it said something for the movement that it should now be helping to provide its own tutors. THE ENROLMENTS. Enrolments for the district totalled 1854 (classes 868, discussion course groups 851; box circles 135), compared with 2148 last year (classes 964, discussion course groups 826, box circles 325). The decline in enrolments was largely the result of the committee's policy of reverting to longer courses, and was not an indication of diminishing activity. There had been a sharp falling-off in the figures for box Circles, but this was more than offset by increased enrolments in country classes and in discussion course groups. The work had been carried on through funds provided by the Government, by the University from the National Endowment Fund, and by the Carnegie Corporation. The final grant from the Carnegie Corporation was received early in the year, arid the committee desired to place on record its * appreciation of the generosity of the Corporation in coming to the rescue of the association when it was almost threatened with extinction.

The report states that the committee is convinced of the soundness of the policy of returning to longer courses. The view is expressed that the loss in numbers is greatly outweighed by the advantages of continuous study and the livelier and betterinformed discussions resulting when a class is kept together for a reasonable space of time.

Reference is made to the work done by Messrs. Hely and Garner among the men at the Public Works camps and to the results. Some of the discussion groups formed at these camps, particularly Bartletts, Tokaanu, and Tarawera. are mentioned as having done work of outstanding merit. It appeared that little progress could be made both in respect to tuition at the camps and in other directions in the South Island part of the district until it was possible to station a full-time tutor-organiser in the area. The total enrolment for the camps was 292 (classes 151, discussion groups 141). "It can therefore reasonably be claimed." the report adds, "that the district has fulfilled its obligations with respect to the special grant of £250 made by the Government for tutorial work in the camps." STUDENTS' OCCUPATIONS. The report points out that, although it has been impossible to secure details of the occupations of all the students enrolled, figures which have been obtained give a good indication of the composition of the W.E.A. student body. In the following return married women students have been classified under the occupations of their husbands, as this is considered more illuminating than to group them under the heading of domestic duties:— Manual workers (e.g., Public Works Department workers, labourers, factory hands), 503; craft workers (carpenters, fitters, painters, plumbers), 250; professional (accountants, business men. clergymen, lawyers—teachers are classified separately), 174; farmers, 160; office workers. 150; teachers. 138; total. 1375.

"From the point of view of the objective of the W.E.A.," the report states, "these figures are very satisfactory. For while the association has never been in any sense exclusive, it t has considered that its first duty was to the workers (in the narrower sense of the term), and that it was failing if it did not attract a reasonable number of them to its classes and groups.

"It is also of interest to note that nearly ten men enrolled in classes or groups for every seven women."

The Wellington Hospital Board last night decided to write to the Beautifying Association and express appreciation of the work it had done in front of the hospital.