PART-TIME SCHOOLS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 108, 10 May 1933, Page 7

PART-TIME SCHOOLS

DEVELOPMENT NEEDED

ECONOMIC REVOLUTION

JUVENILE UNEMPLOYMENT

An extension of part-time education, involving a limitation of the employment of juveniles", was suggested as a remedy'for t!io present economic difficulties by Mr. J. H. Howell; late director of the Wellington Technical College, in the course of an interesting address at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Technical School Teachers' Association yesterday. In remarKing that the Dominion's post-primary schools would have to be adjusted to a vastly extended system of part-time education, Mr. , Howell said that part-time education already existed in the form of evening classes a\ the technical schools, and despite tho fact that the attendances at these classes -were declining, the extension of the part-time system was not only, economically necessity, but was also educationally desirable. "Wo are faced to-day with an economic revolution, compared with which the industrial -revolution was insignificant, in importance and extent," con>i tinued' Mr. Howell. "The industrial revolution' took place in the 'age' of the stage coach, and the' economic revolution is taking place in the age of the' aeroplane, and the stage coach and the aeroplane are not unfit symbols of th'S two revolutions. """ GEE AT OVEB-PBODUCTION. •^The results of the economio revolu-tion-we. can. hardly envisage. ■ It has been calculated that in the markets of the world in July, 1931, there were goods enough to supply the' needs of the world for two years and three months without any additional woTk being done. Even if i that was an exaggeration, it is a momentous fact .' that we have to face the possibilities iof tremendous over-production, and it ■ seems to me there are - only ■■ three courses open. Wo might relapse into the peasant'society where groups of families would bo more or less selfsupporting; we might attempt to raise ■ the standard of living of what we consider tho backward section* •• of the '; community bo that demand would be stimulated; or we might retard production." The idea of abandoning the advantages of modern civilisation did not • appeal, and the second choice . would , take too long to be effective. There;fore it seemed that limitation of pro- - duction was tho only solution, and if •that were so people would have to -look forward to less work for the .', elder,- and less work or no work for • the juvenile. ' s NO WOEK UNDER 16 YEAEB. ' "It has been maintained," «aid Mr. Howell, "and I think with a great deal of justice, that ni> juveniles should be employed under 16 years of age, but I think we would have great diffif ciilty in persuading the general publia 'that that is a desirable procedure. There 'is the' alternative of diluting /-labour by limiting the hours of work." Dr. Bceby had' proposed a scheme by which no youth under 16 years of "age worked more than half time, the remaining time being spent at school. That would solvo' the problem of unemployment for those under sthe : age of 16, said Mr. Howell, and ..would probably help towards the emI'ploymcnt of. those older, but the age •would have to be raised to 18 or 19 if a satisfactory solution were to be vfound. f!jl|!"We" woulA be providing-,» lemedy for a grave'menace' to the structure or continued. Mr. Howell. "Mdny of the youths of today are un:employed and- rapidly becoming unemployable." ; NOT A N.EW IDEA. education was not a new rthing, although it might be in New Zealand. .In Germany and -Denmark .it had been in vogue for y«ars with .extremely beneficial results, and something similar would have to be looked ', forward to here if the country were to progress or everi maintain its present , P "You may think that that is out of , the question," continued the speaker. ."We are faced with a shortage.of funds "and-wo cannot look forward to any -more funds from overseas such as have ! been used in the past to build up our educational system. Our schools have 'largely been built with, borrowed money and that source of supply is, and should be, shut off." - The present trouble might prove to -be nothing more than the spiritual upheaval which occurred at the time of the Eenaissance, when so many of the colleges and universities in Europe and 'Great Britain were founded. Even at the present time there was a great deal of wealth in New Zealand which, if properly applied, could givo assistance to educational needs. "I hope we can look forward to a Eetraissance here as a Tesult of the troubles through which wo are passing," said Mr. Howell. "The new system would not need to i>e elaborate, and would not requiro elaborate appliances and machinery. EIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL. "Specialisation of labour has made a great advance, but it is not so much the ■ highly-skilled man as the handy Tnan who is valuable, and for the production of handy youths costly equipment is not necessary. W9 need to develop a greater range of arts and crafts so that'the- individual may satisfy his nature. We have no right to sacrific tho individual for the demands pi industry, and we must provide for youths opportunities for self-expression outside the means of livelihood." , '-■' Youths should be given in the parttime schools means of recreation in the real sense of the word —to really create" something through strenuous effort. One form of recreation which had been greatly neglected in the .past was music. If the system of part-time education •was to be established it should not be the task of one type of school. Previously it had been left almost entirely to technical schools, but it was a burden which would have to be shared. It might bo said that it would be impossible to provide the schools, but the country would have to make the greatest use of tho buildings it already had, which would have to be extended by the country's own efforts. Both in America and Japan schools were used by two sets of teachers and pupils in one day. The arrangements were made to meet difficult conditions. New Zealand was, facing difficult conditions and would havo even more difficult conditions to face. There would have to be co-operation between teachers and pupils of the type which had established the cafeteria at the Wellington Technical College. At a Philadelphia school the original buildings had been added to by the pupils, working under skilled instruction, and he thought something of the. kind1 might be anticipated in this country. 1 If such a revolution of thought were brought about it could only, be done by the teachers, who would have to be tho authors of the revolution. If ever there- was a time when the teachers should get together and think out their, problems,1 it 'was the present.