W.E.A.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18352, 9 March 1920, Page 10

W.E.A.

PROGRESS Itt GREAT BPJTAIN. Mr J. B. Condliffe, M.A., assistant lecturer to Dr Hight at Canterbury College, and well known l'or his activities in connection with the Workers’ Educational Association, returned to Christchurch last week after a period of study at Cambridge University, following on his service with the Expeditionary force. In the course of conversation with a “Lyttelton Times” reporter, Mr Condliffe gave some interesting particulars regarding the activities of 'the Workers’ Educational Association in Great Britain. Since the war, Sir Condiiffe j said, there had been ® remarkable expansion. Classes had wore than doubled, and the demand was so great that the secretary- said he dared not organise it. A valuable adjunct to the association’s activities was the immense number of voluntary study circles, which grew in the course of time "to tutorial classes. The classes in Britain covered a much wider range of subjects than those in Now Zealand Most of them started with economics and worked on to political science and philosophy. Some had been in existence for ten years and vvere providing a general education, the students taking up such subjects as English ii.teraturo and even music. There was much more real-study iu Britain than in New Zealand. This was duo to the fact that the people at Homo had had more experience of this means of education, and their tutors also were more experienced. As an instance of the earnestness of the students at Home, Mr Condliffe stated that in many cases the classes carried on their work even though the tutor were away. In one case which the speaker knew of a class met regularly and carried on its studies under the direction of a tutor who could attend the class only once every four weeks. Some classes were undertaking work of a concrete nature, such as investigating labour conditions at first hand; others were doing work well np to Honours standard at a university. Mr Condliffe was very enthusiastic regarding the value of the summer schools held in connection with the association. First and foremost of these was tlio school hold during tho vacation at B.illiol College, Oxford. This school had been an annual fixture for the past fifteen years. Tho Master and Fellows of the college went into residence with the students, who came from all parts of Britain. There was usually one tutor to every four or six students, and much valuable study was cairied out during tho six weeks which tho school lasted/ Similar schools were held in connection with the London, Cambridge and Bangor Universities, and at Saltburn (Yorkshire), where the District Council chartered a large school for a period of six weeks. Various occupations were represented these schools, such as miners, steel workers, weavers, mill hands, typists and many others. Mr Condliffo mentioned 'the case of one student who came under his personal observation at one of tlieso schools. This was a mill hand, thirty-five years of age, whb had supported her invalid parents practically all her life. She was quite poor, but managed to attend a summer school for a fortnight. During that time she made a study of the working conditions of women in tho nineteenth century, and at the end of her studies submitted an essay on the subject which was well up to Honours standard at a University.

The scope of the association was now being extended to rural districts in many of the classes in England, especially in Yorkshire. It was a great pity that similar work was not being carried out in New Zealand, snid M-r Condliffe. Ho looked forward to tile time when such subjects as biology, -technical agricultural subjects, woolclassing, etc-, would he taught to farmers by tutors who would organise classes in the various districts.. Such classes had made Denmark the foremost country in tho world as far as fanning was concerned. In Denmark, during the slack season, the farmers attended schools of instruction, where they were taught only the latest and best methods of farming but subjects of general fculture as ujell. Another feature of tho work of the association at Home, said Mr'Condliffe, was the establishment of a central library, which would send a recognised student in any part of the United Kingdom any text-hook he or she required—procuring it if necessary—provided its value was more than five shillings. Possession of the hook could he retained for three months. The library also sent out hook boxes to tho various W.E-A- classes. No difficulty had been found in securing grants for this work. Donations had been made available from the Gilchrist and Carnegie trusts, and no doubt ‘if. New Zealand developed a- similar system the necessary funds could be raided in a similar mariner.

With tho growth of the system at Home it was found necessary to have full time Resident tutors, and the real work was now done by these full time tutors. The Universities had recognised this fact and Oxford had appointed two tutors who devoted only one term to University work and the remainder ot their time to the work of the W.E.A.

fepeaking of the future of the movement in New Zealand Mr Condliffe said that the Dominion must be prepared to spend more money oil education generally than it had spent in the past. When the Fisher Act became operative at Homo it would put Great Britain’s elementary school system far ahead ot that fcf New Zealand. But adjilt education was The key to A any of the problems confronting the world to-day. The tendency was to remove the control of industry from the capitalist classes, hut before the workers could he expected to take a fair share in the management of any industry they must he educated, an aspect of the. industrial situation that gave added importance to the work of the W.E.A. It this work were to be carried out successfully the movement must be accorded a generous financial support. Until they got young, enthusiastic tutors, with a salary, say, of £IOO or £SOO a year, who could devote all their time to’ tho W.E-A-, its efforts would never be completely satisfactory. Mr Condliffe stated that New Zealand would be visited in the course of tho next two or three years by Mr A. Manshridge, the founder of the W.E.A.. the Association’s Contra] Libraries and tho World Association for Adult Education—which was practically a clearing house for information from different countries. It was hoped that other prominent men in the movement would also he able to visit the Dominion in the future.