84 PKESlDliNTIAL ADDRESS SECTION D. 



two technical night schools, w itii an attendance of 556, while in 

 the ordinary day schools there are over 1,500 pupils who take a 

 ftill domestic science course, and over 2,000 that take woodwork. 

 It is felt, however, that night work is not altogether satisfactory, 

 and that all apprentices should attend day classes. 



The only trade schools that we have as yet in the country 

 — if we except the trade schools in Johannesburg' — are confined 

 to institutions that deal with poor boys and girls whose board 

 is also provided for. These are enabled to kee]) going by con- 

 tributions from chtirches and private individuals. 



The ciuestion as to whether trade schools as they have them 

 in Holland — which are attended by pupils before employment — 

 ought to be started throughout the tlnion has yet to be settled, 

 but a serious attempt is now made to adopt the system of 

 daylight continuation classes concurrently with employment. 



But is there not needed something more? The State cati 

 provide trade schools an.d technical institutes for those who 

 have reached the compulsory school-going age. and a certain 

 standard. But do we not need further State supervision of 

 those who leave school at 15 with a limited education, and drift 

 into blind-alley occupations which offer an apparently good 

 wage, but leave them at 18 a drug in the market? Do we not 

 need " a com])ulsory extension of the age at which a boy or a 

 girl is allowed to drop all educational training and to plunge 

 into his or her life-work without any further supervision or 

 guidance"? Mr. Arnold Freeman pro])oses the following reme- 

 dies, and it will be well seriously to consider whether we oug'ht 

 to supply them: — 



1. The statutory reduction of the hours of juvenile lalxiur. 



2. Compulsory contintied education. 



In the Report of the Committee on Industrial lulucation 

 presented to Parliament this year, we find several excellent sug- 

 gestions. Among them there is one on which more stress might 

 have been laid- — namely, the provision of rural schools of in- 

 dustry and school farms. I am strongly in favour of agricul 

 tural schools at suitable centres, and in connection with the 

 School Boards, and of a type much less elaborate than the fuUy- 

 ecfuipped and expensive schools at Elsenburg, Grootfontein and 

 Cedara. There is a great need of men as overseers on farms, 

 and it is to meet this need that such schools ought to be started. 

 An experiment has been made at Grootfontein with some 15 

 ]>oor boys with this in view. And Mr. Thornton assured me 

 that the results were excellent. But Elsenburg and Grootfon- 

 tein offer an excellent op{>ortunity for the training of teachers 

 for such primary agricultural schools or school farms. xAnd 

 most stiitable centres would be the different irrigation settle- 

 ments that are increasing in the country, and where the number 

 of children is usually large. Such schools could also be opened 

 in the neighbourhood of large towns, where market-gardeninu' 

 and poultry-keeping are remunerative undertakings. There has 



