BROADCASTING AND EDUCATION.

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 45, 24 May 1929, Page 6

BROADCASTING AND EDUCATION.

FFROM 3YA recently Dr. J. Hight gave an instructive and thought- ' provoking resume of his conception of the value of broadcasting as a medium of education. This paper is published in full in another column, and is worthy of the perusal and study of thinking readers. In it Dr. Hight makes an effort to classify and summarise the real place that broadcasting can most satisfactorily and efficiently take in the realm of education. Care is taken to point out that that word should be lifted from its ordinary connotation of "dry-as-dust schooling" into the broader view of a widening and interesting contact with all phases of human life. A good point is early made by citing the comment of an English teacher now in New Zealand. This teacher, in weighing up the New Zealand boy as against the English boy. stresses the point that the English boy has wider and deeper intellectual interests than the New Zealander. This is attributed not only to the advantages of environment, which are represented by association with a fuller and more vital national life and the atmosphere created by a daily Press informed of world movements, but by "the excellence and variety of the wireless, which is in practically every home in Britain, and must give a breadth of intellectual interests for which the colonial youth cannot hope." Endorsing that view, Dr. Hight states that "We in New Zealand should not dwell in complacent content, but should strain every effort to equalise conditions by wholehearted, well-thought-out, and systematic endeavours to give our young people the stimulus of a perfected broadcast." THE warning as to the "complacent content" of many New Zealanders is well made, and may fitly be stressed. This is a definite danger in our intellectual and national life. New Zealanders have the habit of regarding themselves as leaders in many branches of world thought and legislation. This is a relic of the Seddon regime, when Seddon did make one or two forward moves, and on that pedestal there has been built an inverted pyramid of what the frank critic might call "national conceit," and which a more considerate one would call an "enlarged national ego." Many classes of New Zealanders certainly keep abreast of the times, and by periodic visits overseas maintain contact with world progress. On their return, it is the habit of our Press to interview them, and, as praise is infinitely more pleasant than criticism, the tendency is almost invariably to enlarge on those few aspects in which the advantage lies with us, and ignore painful deficiencies. This process can be overdone, and we rather think Dr.

Hight has let us off lightly in his quiet warning that New Zealand should not indulge in "complacent content." Iso ated as we are from >> the more progressive parts of the world, we must necessarily lag behind in many features, more especially having regard to the tremendous rate at which present progress is proceeding. THIS very fact emphasises the importance that broadcasting can play in the life of the people. Dr. Hight, in his discussion, necessarily treated the matter from an idealistic point of view in an outline of what could and should be done. His catalogue of various efforts presents a rather striking harmony with what we know to be the objective of those ‘compiling our New Zealand programmes. While we know that with the limited talent available in this country, effort has been made to attend to the main aspects enumerated by Dr. Hight, we will avoid the pitfall of "complacent content," and not claim that the ideal has yet been reached. We would like to see very much more use made of broadcasting as an "educational medium’’-not necessarily in the dry sense, but in the live and informative sense. The experimental contact formerly made between broadcasting a schools should be prosecuted. With live and forceful educational authorities we believe the difficulties could be surmounted, and the offer of the Broadcasting Company to devote certain of the daylight hours of transmission to this phase of work used advantageously. ‘There is a tremendous field, too, for use of broadcasting in our national life in connection with the farming industry. It has already been stated that Dr. Chilton, formerly of Canterbury College, is under engagement to the Broadcasting Company to investigate this matter and evolve data of importance. His inquiry, when completed, will doubtless be the basis for further broadcast in that field. WE have frankly appreciated Dr. Hight’s summary of the educational possibilities of broadcasting, and commend his remarks to readers. In essence they are a call to fuller, forceful use of radio. Necessarily a section of readers will resent the mere suggestion of education. Dr. Hight sought to adjust that by his definition of real education. Even the hours of entertainment, which give listeners that musical enjoyment which they mainly seek, are educational-they are r moulding taste and extending appreciation. If we can remove fron.’ the word "educational" the thought of restrictive unpleasantness, and give it the lure of informative enjoyment, then a united appreciation will be won for broadcasting as the medium of expanding a fuller and more joyous national life.