TV Teaching Link In London

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31782, 12 September 1968, Page 15

TV Teaching Link In London

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, Sept. 11. A vast educational television network linking schools, universities and higher educational establishments will be launched in London tomorrow. Initially, the service, which has a nine-channel potential, will transmit programmes to more than 110,000 children and students in 300 educational establishments throughout Inner London. But within 12 months the network set up by the Inner London Educational Authority is expected to be easily the largest closed-circuit educational television service in the world.

By then it will be trans, mitting programmes to more than 500,000 students in 1300 educational establishments, including schools, the University of London, and colleges for adults. Already, educational authorities outside the Inner London area are showing interest in “linking up.” The service will be formally inaugurated by the chairman of the I.L.E.A. (Mr Christopher Chataway), the former Olympic athlete who was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education in the last Conservative Government.

Next Monday, schools will be able to time to the televised lessons for the first time as the network begins transmitting for 9) hours a day. from 10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m..

on five days a week. “To start with, we will be using only one channel,” an I.L.E.A. official said today, “but we will have two by the end of the first year. “Later, the universities will take ovfer two more and 8.8. C. Television and the. independent company, ITV, will use another two for their programmes.

“For the moment all programmes will be in black and white, although we do have potential for colour.” The spokesman said the capital cost of establishing the service, which would go out through coaxial cables, was £BOO,OOO. Running costs would total £360,000 a year, of which £162,000 would go to the General Post Office for the hire and maintainance of facilities.

"At the end of the first year we expect the cost to average out at 18s per head per year, but this will come down,” the official said. “Apart from the technical staff of 40, the network will be staffed by teachers. “All the producers will be teachers, and we will have about 45 teachers on the staff. All have attended a threemonth course on television.

“We expect teachers will work on the programmes for about two years before returning to teaching.” Programmes will be repeated several times each week ’ to fit in with school time-tables, and will cover subjects ranging from primary school French to careers advice, art appreciation and modern methods of teaching mathematics.