THE W.E.A.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19676, 30 June 1927, Page 12

THE W.E.A.

Sir, —Your correspondent "8.A." lias evidently been misinformed or otherwise he would never have described the work of the Workers' Educational Association as a " sham education." What objection can there be to a working man making an attempt to gain a university honour ? 1 take it that the university would not grant a degree unless a certain standard of education was reached. Where then does the lowering of the university standard come in? • 1). Bradley. Sir, —In vour issue of the 28th inst. " 8.A." makes some startling statements in connection with the granting of W.E.A. bursaries. These statements reveal an inadequate knowledge of the facts. In the first place I must point out that the W.E.A. does not of itself grant bursaries; this is done by the university upon the recommendation of a committee which consists of W.E.A. officials and tutors. *AII of the latter and some of the former are university graduates, who possess higher qualifications than a B,A. It is not and never has been .assumed that the W.E.A. turns out students qualified to immediately sit for a degree, but when a particular student shows exceptional promise the W.E.A. endeavours to give him the opportunity of continuing his studies at the university. The statement that the Minister of Education should realise the waste of money upon the. sham education oi' the W.E.A. can best be replied to by those university professors and graduates who act as tutors. If university professors really do give a sl'iam education, then B.A.'s ill-advised outburst is also explained. If as B.A. states it is notorious that numbers of persons who attend W.E.A. classes are but little wiser than they were, the fault lies elsewhere and not with the W.E.A. Our present system of cramming in the primary schools, inadequate secondary school facilities, the bread and butter struggle of the average working man's family are among the causes. Yet I venture to assert the average W.E.A. student will compare favourably with the average university student, and as a matter of actual fact, the W.E.A. bursars now studying at the university (there are only four), will bear comparison with any other four students who have entered by other methods. W. J. Scott, President Auckland District Council, W.E.A.