AFTER THE WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 3, 4 January 1941, Page 8

AFTER THE WAR.

Far-Reaching Reforms In Education. SCHOOL LEAVING AGE British Official Wireless. RUGBY, Jan. 3. Sweeping plans for education after the war were revealed by the President of the Board of Education, Mr. H. Ramsbotham, at Oxford. The mistakes made after the laet war would not be repeated, he said. Changes in British social and economic conditions would have a profound effect upon young people, particularly between the ages of 14 and 18. Now was the time to lay plans for great and far-reaching reforms in postprimary education covering the years from 11 to 18. He and his advisers were giving deep and careful thought to this problem. As soon as possible after the war, the 1936 Act to raise the school leaving age to 15 would be enforced. It was his personal belief that the ultimata goal to adopt was a minimum leaving, age of 16, but before this was possible adequate forms of education to suit the varying tasks and capacities of children must be devised. Ho did not support the demand for secondary education for all, because forms of secondary education of sufficient variety and diversity did not exist. He believed we should provide and develop types of post-primary education on a less academic basis for a very large number of children, and we must see that no question of prestige or fallacious distinction between social and liberal types of education stood in the way of establishing parity between modern schools, grammar schools and technical high schools.