Natural science in education / being the report of The Committee on the Position of Natural Science in the Educational System of Great Britain.

Date:
1918
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Natural science in education / being the report of The Committee on the Position of Natural Science in the Educational System of Great Britain. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    97/284 (page 87)
    We have suggested elsewhere that the time to be given to Science should be augmented, that the subject should be taught in schools and parts of schools where it is omitted, and that advanced work should be further developed, especially in state-aided schools. If these suggestions are to be carried out it is clear that, quite apart from the demand entailed by the continued growth of secondary schools which has been a striking feature of the educational history of this country in recent years, the supply of science teachers must be further increased. On the other hand, industry has already begun to compete for the services of those who in former times would have looked forward to science teaching as a profession, and the competition is likely to grow more severe in the future. (ii) SALARIES AND OTHER CONDITIONS OF Work. 72. To secure the requisite supply of teachers it will be necessary to improve, and improve substantially, the salaries of teachers of both sexes, and to provide a satisfactory national system of pensions and retiring allowances. On the question of the need for an improvement in the position and prospects of. teachers, Mr. Fletcher, the Chief Inspector of Secondary Schools, was quite explicit. ‘‘ Until the teaching profession was made more attractive he did not think it would be possible [in secondary education] to do more than keep things going and make minor improve- ments.’’ We accept this statement, but we doubt whether even this will be possible, so far as Science is concerned. The teachers are, in fact, the key to the educational situation. Unless a sufficient supply of properly qualified men and women teachers can be secured all our proposals will be futile. Another Committee has been appointed to consider the whole question of salaries. It will have at its disposal