ESSAY 



Education from the Parents* Point of View (the Editor) 



The war has undoubtedly engendered a widespread feeling that all is not well 

 with public education in Britain ; and this feeling seems to have been brought to 

 a head by the meeting and memorandum of the Neglect-of-Science Committee 

 referred to in the July issue of Science Progress ; while, to judge from the 

 press, the need for some reform appears to be admitted by many educationists 

 themselves. On July 12, 19, and 26, a prolonged discussion, inaugurated by 

 Lord Haldane, took place in the House of Lords on the subject. On July 6, 

 a deputation representing the parents of boys at public schools (with Lord 

 Desborough as chairman) waited upon certain members of the Headmasters' 

 Conference in London in order to express their personal views ; ' and the Educa- 

 tional Supplement of the Times, Nature, and other organs have published 

 numerous letters on the theme. It is clearly felt, as Lord Haldane stated, that 

 now is the time when the business must be set in order. 



A perusal of these discussions will probably lead the unbiassed reader to the 

 conclusion that while there is very general agreement as to the list of items in the 

 bill of fare, there is some difference of opinion as to the amount of each dish which 

 is to be provided at the educational banquet. Briefly it comes to this, that the 

 Reformers desire less Greek and Latin grammar and more science, modern 

 languages, and history. Compromise might be thought to be easy, but unfortu- 

 nately the modern educationist appears to be taking the ground that it is he alone 

 who should decide the point. For instance the Times (July 28) says : " There are 

 two pitfalls ... the first is the danger of confusing reform of organisation with 

 reform of curriculum. . . . The only compulsion which the educationist supports 

 to-day is the compulsion to learn something. What that something shall be, in 

 individual cases, beyond the elements common to all subjects, it is the first duty 

 of the schoolmaster to decide in accordance with the aptitudes of the individual." 

 In other words it is the schoolmaster who shall decide as to the boy's future 

 career. 



On the other side, the Report of Lord Desborough's committee gives the most 

 decided contribution to the discussion from the parents' point of view. The 

 committee first published in the Times of June 5 a memorandum urging reform, 

 and sent copies " to the parents of all boys at Eton with a request for a reply 

 either in favour of the suggestion therein contained or against it." The result 

 was that "536 replies were received from Eton parents, of which 512 were in 

 favour, 12 against and 12 neutral. Letters in favour of the movement were also 

 received from a number of parents of boys at 26 other Public Schools, and from 

 a large number of other parents and sympathisers. A precis of a few of the letters 

 is subjoined." Undoubtedly, therefore, the voting of the parents was overwhelmingly 

 in favour of reform ; and a consideration of the abstracts from 37 letters shows 



1 The Report of Proceedings is issued by the Honorary Secretary, Public School 

 Reform, St. Clere, Kemsing, Kent. 



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