Welsh Journals

Evening A striking feature of modem educa- Schools and tional movements is the determined Employers. effort made to bring Colleges, and Schools into closer relations with employers. The various Appointments Boards serve the colleges; local Employment bureaux are being established to secure that boys in Elementary Schools may have their chance. It is generally agreed that in no department of the educational system is there greater wastage of labour and money than in evening schools throughout the country. The recent policy of the London County Council to reform Evening Schools and establish Educational institutes deserves the close attention of Welsh Educational Authorities. The Council makes a special appeal to Employers for their interest and co-operation in making the Scheme a success. The two chief reforms instituted by the Council relate to the attendance of pupils and the work of teachers. Mr. J. A. Pease, the Minister for Education, in a recent speech drew attention to three possible ways of securing attendance in Evening Schools and thus lessening the Educational wastage between 14 and 16, (a) the voluntary system hitherto in vogue, which has proved a failure, (b) the Compulsory system in operation in parts of Germany, (c) and a middle course, which he regarded as the best, according to which enployers should allow time off for education for boys and girls between 14 and 16, without any deduction from wages. The London County Council is endeavouring to influence em- ployers in this direction. The experience of the great firm of Harrods on this point is most promising and instructive Fifteen months ago they instituted a scheme of yearly free Scholarships, which provides training in Arithmetic, Handwriting, Commercial English, Typewriting, Shorthand, French or Spanish Business efficiency, and salesmanship, and a special training on matters purely connected with the business of the house. The mornings are spent in the classes, the afternoons in the business departments, and after an hour and a half's rest the students attend evening classes. the firm states that already it has been able to recognise a great improvement in the work of the employees, and it is undoubtedly a fact that the attention given to the training of the staff has been amply repaid by the increased efficiency." Is it too much to hope that commercial houses in Wales might well imitate this progressive policy of Messrs. Harrods. It has been long felt by Education authorities that the best work cannot be secured from teachers who, after hard work in the Day Schools, devote their leisure to eke out their inadequate salaries by work in Evening Schools. The London County Council has faced the problem and has decided that in some of the larger centres the re- sponsible teacher has to give his whole time to his Evening Institute in a larger number, the teachers give half of their hours to day school and half to the management of Evening Institutes. To carry out their Scheme, the Council has recently appointed a hundred specialists in Commercial Subjects for work in these evening institutes. Mining The danger of misunderstanding Education between the Authorities of the in Wales. University College, Cardiff, and the Coalowners appear to have been satisfactorily obviated. At a recent conference of Coalowners proposals were submitted for the co- ordinated system of Mining instruction. Through- out the South Wales Coalfield according to this scheme a lad can pursue a course of instruction in mining without a break or without any overlapping between authorities through the County Evening Continuation and Technical Schools established by the Coalowners and thence to the advanced scientific instruction in mining and cognate subjects provided at the University College. The Coalowners propose in addition to the Mining School already opened by them at Treforest at a cost of SD,000 to establish two other schools in other parts of the Coalfield. They suggested at the Conference that the local Education Authorities, the Governing Body of the Mining School, and the University College, should be jointly responsible for the general outlines of the scheme, and for Scholarship arrangements. Apparently, all was going well with the new scheme until the usual battle arose over constitutional matters. On this point, the South Wales Miners' Federation have decided to take a definite stand. They regard the Treforest School as a purely private venture on the part of the Coalowners they consider that the scheme now under consideration owes its initiation to the board of management of that School; they object on principle to any private undertaking being placed in a controlling position in any scheme of public education and finally they urge that the local education authorities should find all the necessary funds and have full control of the administration. With all these views we find our- selves in entire agreement, but is it certain that the Federation have ifully grasped the facts of the situation? For, as we understand the position,