The Children: Some Educational Problems

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

21419

Title

The Children: Some Educational Problems

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Professor Alexander Darroch critiques the fragmented state of British education, arguing that the system lacks organic unity and fails to cultivate moral or civic responsibility. This 1907 treatise addresses urgent social problems, from medical inspections and school feeding to the distinct aims of primary, secondary, and university education, urging a cohesive national approach to training efficient citizens.

Summary up to 500 words

In *The Children: Some Educational Problems*, Professor Alexander Darroch of the University of Edinburgh delivers a comprehensive critique of the early 20th-century British educational system. Despite thirty years of progress, Darroch argues that the nation lacks a truly "organic" system where all educational parts cohere to serve the state's needs. He identifies critical defects, including a lack of correlation between educational grades, an overemphasis on rote memory over imagination and reason, and a failure to instill moral and civic responsibility. Darroch contends that primary schools often function merely as manufactories of mechanical skills rather than institutions for character building, failing to cultivate the imagination or train the reason of the pupil. Darroch extensively examines the state's role in education, advocating for mandatory medical examinations to detect defects like poor eyesight or hearing that hinder learning. He supports state-provided school meals to combat underfeeding caused by poverty or parental neglect. He distinguishes between temporary poverty, chronic poverty, and culpable neglect, arguing the state must intervene in cases of neglect to protect social efficiency. Regarding the aims of different educational stages, he asserts that secondary schools must evolve beyond preparing students solely for universities or learned professions to include technical and commercial training. Concerning universities, Darroch warns against narrowing them to professional training or treating knowledge as an end in itself; instead, they must balance research with practical application. He also argues that universities and technical colleges should remain integrated rather than separated, as the former requires concrete experience and the latter requires broad systematic knowledge. Ultimately, Darroch calls for a unified system that produces efficient workers, citizens, and individuals who can use their leisure wisely. He rejects the idea of education for culture alone in favor of education for social service. He emphasizes that the ultimate test of a system of education is the kind of social individual it turns out—specifically, boys and girls who become efficient workers, efficient citizens, and men and women who have learned how to use their leisure rightly. If the system fails to attain these ends, it is not "organic" to the welfare of the State. Darroch concludes that the whole problem of education from the primary school to the university requires consideration and organization, free from party interests, to ensure the nation can efficiently supply all the services required by the modern industrial state.

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Categories

• Politics
• Education