EDUCATION HISTORY MADE

Chronicle (Levin), 3 April 1947, Page 5

EDUCATION HISTORY MADE

14-YEAR-OLDS STAY AT SCHOOL IN BRITAIN (Special Correspondent.) Received Wednesday, 7 p.m. LONDON, April 2. Edueational history was made in Britain with the raising of the school lea'ving' age from 14 to 15 years without exemptions. April 1, 1947, sees the eulmination of over 100 years of progress towards universal compulsory educatiou, a far cry from the day in 1883 when the first government grant of £20,000 was made for building schools. In 1893 education became compulsory between the ages of 5 and 13 and in 1 1918 it was raised to 5 and 14. It wa 'intended that the age should again be j raised to 15 before the war and the historie date of tSeptember 3, .1989, wa.> , chosen. The war, of course, delaved the deeision which was endorsed by the : Education Act of 1944. The deeision has not been an eas\ one for the Government to make. Xo" 1 only does it niean that the flow of | young recruits to industry and busi ness will be stemmed but also it f'ace. ' the schools with problems of accom modation, provision of extra teachers and ways and means of meeting t!v shortages of books and school materiaJs Xot until the end of the summer tern of .1949 will the flow of the schoo leaving-age boys and girls begin agaii to oflices, shops and factories, and ii the meantime 390,000 children will b added to the school population o. England and Wales and 50,000 to tha of Seotland. | While only a few thousand 14-yeai olds are atfected who would norma! I have flnished school this week, the lirs real effects will be felt when th schools reopen in September when som147,000 more children will be attendin schools all over Britain. There will !» similar increases following in Januam and September of next year. To accommodate the extra pupils tn. Government is building prefabricatm schools resembling prefabrieated house.In England and Wales there will lv 2500 elassrooms and 1100 otlier-purpos huts. It is hoped to have 90 per ceni of them ready by nest September. Though at one time it was feare there might be a shortage of teachers the Ministry of Education is now much more optimistic. It was expeeted tha the number could be raised from 17(5,000 in England and Wales in January, 194(5, to 197,000 by the end oi 1948. Fewer married teachers than anticipated gave up the profession while more left the forces tlian was expeeted, with the result that the ligur. of 19,000 was reached by last Decem ber. Another 13,000 are now training The most serious complication, it i.felt, is the supply of equipment and books. Extra furniture can only I >;- delivered over the next 18 months in stead of in 4?, weelcs in normal times while the shortage of paper and print ing difficulties are affecting the supplies of books. Apparently there is not generai agreement on what the children shal be taught in the extra vear of schooliw: but during this year many conferences are being hcld whereat teachers mav hear and disc.uss what lias been donin the more progressive schools.