EDUCATION TRENDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21968, 27 November 1934, Page 11

EDUCATION TRENDS

"NEW MOVEMENTS NOTED I CARING for adolescents RADIO'S PROMINENT SERVICE assisting the unemployed "I interpreted education in its widest sense and included in my survey as many . movements as possible that seemed to have a bearing on our own national lifyv' said Mr. D. M. Rae, principal of the Auckland Teachers' Training College, on his return by the Monowai yesterday from s a seven months' ioiy in Canada, the United States, Britain, the Continent and Australia. Mr. Kae said it was typical of an important to-day to regard education as having a much wider field than it formerly had when it was confused with schooling from five or six -to 14 or I(3.'One could not visit foreign countries Avithout being impressed with the increasing attention being paid everywhere to broad educational devices that provided opportunities for serious teaching at all ages. In Canada and the United States a great amojunt of that class of work was done under a university extension system, where the university identified itself very fully with every aspect of the State or national life, and sought to stimulate interest in education through country and city communities and adult education. Excellent use was being made of the radio, tin\e being made available even in a country where radio was in the hands of enterprising pfcvato companies. Leading Thinkers Co-opted Similar work was also well organised / in England by the British Broadcasting Corporation. It was interesting to note the co-operation between the corporation's department for adult education and the many excellent county library staffs, curators of museums and directors of art galleries. First-class publications, too, were to be had upon the subject matter of .the course. It was possible by'those means to co-opt the leading thinkers in the nation to assist in the work of adult education. Mr. Rae said he was inclined to hazard the re<xnark that radio had more to give to adult education than to the schools. In England. Scotland and Wales public education was greatly aided by an excellent system of libraries-,' which were free and splendidly organised. The librarian jvas more than a custodian of books; he was a propagandist for the 1 development of education by reading. The county library scheme, which was linked into a national system s by which the most valuable book might be made available to any student in the country at one-way postage, was a revelation to a Dominion visitor. Education lor Unemployed

"No more promising significant movement in education can be seen than the different devices that are organised to save the - morale of unemployed people by providing educational facilities for them," said Mr. Rae. "While this, movement takes different forms in different countries* it is perhaps best organised in New York, where a system obtains by which unemployed persons of any age may utilise their enforced leisure in well-equipped and well-staffed educational classes. "Under/the Unemployment Act, 1934, the United Kingdom has instituted a system of compulsory attendance at junior instruction classes for all children over 14 years of age who are unemployed or who are not at school. While this would seem to be the Government's reply to ■the nation-wide demand to raise the school-leaving age to 3$ it is doubtful if the system wdl be a real success. It 'is under the dual control of the Ministry of Labour and the' Education Department, and, although so far no breach has occurred, it will be- strange if they continue to siee eye to eye on educational theory. '''lt would seem that the Minister of Education has been caught sleeping," continued Mr. Rae. "At its worst,' however, the scheme is at least a national effort to provide discipline 'and educational opportunity for young people ■ who would otherwise get their education from the street in a period cf enforced, dangerous idleness.

Wide Variety of Schools Mr. Rae said that, amid a general educational spring-cleaning that was going on m the world to-day, the most important movement might be said to bo: a desire to reorganise, the education of tlie adolescent —to provide the fullest opportunity for young people of talent to proceed to the universities, but at the same time to discover as early as possible those who should not go forward to universities, and to provide for them in widely different types of schools an adolescent education that'would train them to meet life squarely at all points. Bound up with that movement was a- universal challenging of leaving examinations, which in the past had rigidly controlled the secondary school field of education. Sir Michael Sadler, who was still in the'forefront of English educational thought, was of opinion th&t there must be one leaving certificate, with, a large number of elective, subjects. The .whole field of secondary education was under critical review in,all lands —and that, too. with the enthusiastic support of professional teachers. '