EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19350, 10 December 1924, Page 3

EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

ADDRESS BY MR J. HORN, M.P. SOME INTERESTING INFORMATION Mr J. Horn, M.P., one of the delegation of Now Zealand members of Parliament who recently visited South was welcomed back to a meeting of the. Education Board yesterday by the chairman (Air J. Wallace). In acknowledging the welcome, Mr Horn said ho would like to make somn remarks regarding educational work in South Africa; Ho said the difficulty in tne public schools in South Africa was the two languages. Dutch and English. On the bank notes two languages wero printed—one on each side, and the same state of affairs went on 'through the educational system. In the country schools Dutch was mostly taught, and in the cities it was mostly English. In the urban schools the percentage of children under seven years of ago who gpoko both Dutch and English was 34, English only 40, and Dutch 24. Above seven the respective percentages were 54, 36, and 9, and a small percentage spoke neither language. Now, if thov turned to the rural districts, and took children over seven years of ago, they found that 45 per cent, spoke both languages, per cent, spoite English only, and 43 spoke Dutch. Here again a small percentage spoke neither English nor Dutch. Continuing, Mr Horn said that education in South Africa was carried on by the provinces. These wore a sort of glorified county councils. The whole of the seaports wero owned by the Government right through the tftion, but the education system was carried out by the provinces. Up to some time ago the Union Government was paying 50 per cent, of the coat of education, but since 1919 it had started to draw out. This had put the provincial governments very much in debt. The provincial expenditure had grown in 10 years in respect of education from £4,000,000 to £10,000,000, and the expenditure of the Union Government from £9,500,000 to £18,000.000 In the year before Union the Cape Parliament had decreed that the whole of the excess of expenditure over revenue should be borne by the Government, and this excess was what _was known as the school board deficits. Then, following Union, educational operations expanded. Free education was introduced, the education rate in the Cape was abolished, and, as deficits piled up with snow'ball rapidity a large portion of, the expenditure in any one year went to liquidate the school hoard deficits incurred during the previous financial year. Since 1921 the Cape would have received in subsidy on the scale operating up to that year, an additional £1,095,159, and the accumulated deficit, including £400,000 for the current year, was £1,088,896. The Transvaal deficit in the current year was £330,000, while the Free State and Natal were on the wrong side comparatively small amounts. The accumulated Free State deficit, however, was £136,000, while Natal had a deficit of about £40,000 with a prospect of being on the wrong side this year to the tune of between £7OOO and £BOOO. They would therefore see that the provinces, or education boards, were financially in a very bad state indeed. Some of the provinces had tried to raise money by special taxation. In one case they had put a tax on land sales—the proceeds to go towards education—and in other cases they had imposed a bachelor tax to help things in connection with education.

Otherwise the schools were run on much the same lines as those in New Zealand. Ho found that during the term of the war there was a groat dearth of teachers in South Africa, and teachers had been sent from New Zealand. They had met a groat number of those New Zealand teachers. Many of the female teachers had married, and now had families - There wore quite a number of industrial schools in South Africa. These were residential. These were for children of the poor whites, and ho supposed 75 per cent, of them wero ■ Dutch. There was, an old tradition in South Africa that when a Dutch father died the whole of his estate should go to his eldest son. These estates were mostly composed of land. The other sons wero permitted to make a living on the land, but if any of these died their children were shoved off the farms, and went to the industrial schools. Here the boys learned various crafts and agricultural methods. The girls were taught domestic work, and they proved very useful workers, and were in great request amongst the settlers. Technical and high schools were carried on much the same as in New Zealand. There were a number of colleges for coloured boys, from the ago of 12 to 20, and these were taught useful employments. The girls wore taught knitting and all sorts of other work. These colleges wero well conducted.

The agricultural colleges which included some large buildings, were doing good work, and irrigation was also carried out on an extensive scale. Probably, however, the finest work he .had seen in South Africa was in connection with research. There wore large establishments, and many of them. The stock there had to face many diseases. These diseases were caused to a large extent by beasts together in yards every night. They were all herded, as not more than 90 per cent, of occupied land in South Africa was fenced. Black boys employed on these places received 10s per month and found. The tick was so bad in some places mat the animals had to be dipped three times a week. In other districts once a fortnight was sufficient. It was also, very hard to exterminate scab on the sheep. In the research laboratories ho had spoken of most elaborate arrangements were made to combat these diseases. South Africa had a lot of smart men working in these laboratories, and in years to come their work would bo not only a benefit to South Africa but to the whole world. Referring to the mines, ho said the working of the quarts was very hard on the men In' Johannesburg there were about 50 large mines, each mine employing 100 to 150 whites to an average of about 400 ( blacks. The men before going into tho mine had to undergo a close medical examination, and every three months they wero again placed under the X-rays and reexamined. The South African Government received an income from the mines, and men sent out of the mines, no longer able to work there, received a pension for life, and their wives and children also received pensions. A miner was done at the end of five or six years, and the toll of human life was very great. The research work to combat the diseases which attacked the miners was also carried out on a large scale. Mr Horn concluded by saying that m educational matters South Africa was moving very much on the lines adopted in Now Zealand, but that thev wore ahead oT ua in research work. South African educational authorities were glad to receive information of what was being done in New Zealand. They had been glad to copy Now Zealand in many respects.—(Ap plause.) In answer to questions, Mr Horn said tho black people never mixed with the whites in the schools. In Durban 75 per cent, of the natives did not drink tea, cocoa, or coffee; they drank a native beer. The natives wero not allowed to have more than two drinks a day. under a system of Iho issue of tickets. _ The beer was wholesome, and had certain food qualities. The Government in Durban made a profit of £53.000 per annum. The Chairman: Thot’s profiteering. Tho Durban Government built native schools and houses for tho blacks with this money, went on Mr Horn. Tho natives paid so much for their houses per month. The Indians were treated differently, and looked after themselves. They resided mostly outside the towns. The provincial governments and the Union Government were finding the means for extending education amongst the natives right through South Africa. Tho natives were very eager to learn. The ordinary schools had school committees, but the provincial pnvornments hold tho purse strings. The school committees did not have tho same financial system as pertained in New Zealand. A provincial government would rebuild a school if it was burnt down. It was very much in the same position as a New Zealand Education Board. There was no central department—tho provincial governments wero a law to themselves. They had to find about 64 per cent, of the expenditure, and this money was obtained practically by local taxation.