SWEEPING PLANS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 January 1941, Page 5

SWEEPING PLANS

FOR EDUCATION AFTER THE WAR BRITISH MINISTER’S HOPES. NO REPETITION OF PAST MISTAKES. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. January 2. Sweeping plans for education alter the wat; were revealed by die President of the Hoard oi Education, Mr ILimsbotham. speaking at Oxford, lie said the mistakes imide after the last war would not be repeated. There would be changes in British social and economic conditions which would have a profound effect upon young people, particularly between the ages of 1 4 and 1 Now was the time t" lay plans for great and far-reaching 1 reforms in postprimary education covering the years 11 to 18. he said. He and his advisers were giving deep and careful thought to this problem. As soon as possible after the war the 1936 Act to raise the school leaving age to 15 would be enforced. It was his personal belief and ultimate goal to adopt a minimum leaving age of 16. but before this was possible adequate forms of education to suit the varying tasks and capacities of the children must be devised.

He did riot support the demand for secondary education for all because forms of secondary education of sufficient variety and diversity did not exist. He believed that we should provide and develop types of post primary education on a less academic basis for a very large number of children, and we must see that no question of prestige or fallacious distinction between social and liberal types of education stood in the way of establishing parity between modern schools, grammar schools and technical high schools.