VIEWED FROM OVERSEA

Evening Star, Issue 20150, 15 April 1929, Page 9

VIEWED FROM OVERSEA

ENGLISH EDUCATION HEEDED READJUSTMENT 'A Dominion View of English Educalion 5 was the subject of an address given by .Professor Fred Clarke, _director of training iti the L'lfc’versity of Cape Town, at the College of Breceptors, Bloomsbury, recently. He said that since 10f)2 there had been in English education not only groat progress in educational provision and teaching technique, but a complete change of atmosphere and outlook. Slowly but surely certain principles ot constructive action seemed to be emerging. In the main they were (1) the desire to preserve and strengthen national unity by the achievement of more genuine community and equality; (-) the desire to achieve a greater measure of actuality in the content and mamj)ulntion of educational curricula. The deep social cleavage that still persisted in England expressed itself rnuc i more strongly in the sphere of education than was generally admitted by the complacent, and the great expansion of public provision for education might serve even to intensify it. W as m quite a visionary danger that English education might emerge from a century of religious sectarianism only to fall into a social secretarianism which in the long run might have even worse consequences 9 The remedy seemed to be not the abolition of the privileged form of education for the governing class that was afforded by the “ independent ” preparatory and public schoo svstera —at least, not as a form ot education; but rather to disentangle the genuine educational virtues oi that svstem from the alloy of privilege, class spirit, and often sheer cant with winch it was mixed. Once the distinctive educational values of the traditional “upper class ” system had been brought into relief the task ot generalising'them and making them accessible for the whole population could be undertaken as a task of education pure and simple, unhampered by the inclevancies of class distinction which non stood in the way. Since the bond of common ciiltme and a common social outlook seemed to he the only one strong enough to noia together the British Commonwealth today, and since the dominions had shown bevoncl all doubt that they were resolved at all costs to preserve the eoualitarian conditions they had estaulished from the first, the mam huidcn of adjustment fell upon England.