Preparation For Marriage

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30879, 12 October 1965, Page 2

Preparation For Marriage

In recent years the age at which young people in Britain marry has dropped sharply, and many of the girls who leave school at 15 are married at 18 or 19.

Some indeed, are married and have a family while still in their teens, and one of the problems confronting social workers and educationalists is how to prepare young people for the responsibilities and economic realities of married life in a complicated and competitive modern society. It was with this problem in mind that the Bournville College of Further Education, Birmingham, in Britain’s industrial midlands, launched a special course for “day release” students that was designed specifically as a preparation for adult life and marriage. The students — boys as well as girls—are youngsters whose employers agree, and sometimes insist, that they should attend a college of further education for one day a week. Some day release courses are specialised to give further training in technical or commercial subjects, but this course is non-academic. Its girl students include typists, clerical and factory workers. Among the boys are many apprentices and process and other workers from local factories.

“They enjoy the course because they are interested in marriage and home making,” a member of the staff said. The course owes its inspiration to the college principal, Mr Albert Weedall. For the girls, it covers every aspect of married life from cooking a simple meal, making a dress and looking after a baby, to maintaining a home, furnishing it, simple home repairs, entertaining and budgeting the household expenses on an average wage. Instruction is practical as well as theoretical, and shopping tours teach the students to make an intelligent appraisal of comparative prices. While the girls learn dom-

estic arts, the boys are instructed in house purchases, banking, investment, insurance, car maintenance, simple house repairs and hire purchase. Experts, including bank managers and estate agents, are invited to talk to the students, and recently a member of Parliament lectured them about the electoral system. Representatives from the local authority teach the students elementary facts about civic affairs. Physical education is a compulsory part of each day’s work and, in addition, members of the city’s public health department talk to the students about personal welfare and health problems. During their final term the

girls take part in a special leavers’ course. Instead of attending college the students spend their time at a small semi-detached house that has been leased by the local authority. The house is equipped with furniture, a cooker, washing machine, refrigerator, and all the appliances found in the average British home. Under the supervision of a domestic science teacher the girts sew, cook, clean, wash and even garden. When the daily tasks are completed, they discuss household planning, budgets, the care of children and any other domestic subject in which they may be interested. During this last term they

1 listen to talks by members ’■ of the Marriage Guidance s Council and the Family Plan--1 ning Association, and have s an opportunity for asking - questions and buying books on marriage, sex and contrai ception. They learn, too, ? about the agencies that exist 1 to offer advice and help to 1 young people who encounter • practical or emotional difficuli ties during the early days of 5 marriage. i The course is one of the - most enlightened and com- , prehensive of its kind in - Britain today. It has already f attracted the attention of r educationalists in other parts i of the country, and may well act as a model for additional t similar courses.