University and Educational Intelligence

Abstract

A NUMBER of resolutions concerned with education were adopted last week at the Trade Union Congress held at Ipswich. Some called for the State maintenance of school children, for scientific physical education, and the development of the medical department of the Board of Education. Others demanded that secondary and technical education be an integral part of every child's education, and be secured by such a reform and extension of the scholarship system as would place a maintenance scholarship within the reach of every child, and thus make it possible for all children to be full-time day pupils up to the age of sixteen; and that the best intellectual and technical training be provided for the teachers of the children, that each educational district be required to train the number of pupil teachers demanded by local needs and to establish training colleges, preferably in connection with universities or university colleges. The interest in education thus manifested by the leaders of our working men may be regarded as a gratifying sign of the times. All who desire the welfare of the nation would welcome any real improvement in our system, of educating suitably the men upon whom the success of our industries largely depends; but many competent persons will doubt the wisdom of the great extension of our scholarship system demanded by the Trade Union Congress. In any system of awarding scholarships every care must be taken to ensure that each scholarship holder has shown by his previous record that he is mentally qualified to benefit by the secondary and technical education which the scholarship makes possible, and will complete the course at the school. It is important to educate every person to the full extent of his capabilities, but it is folly to imagine that every boy or girl who is made to attend a technical school must of necessity be able to benefit from such attendance.