Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 11 October 2012

“Technical Memories (Part 30) –The Fallacies of Education”

“People must once and for all get rid of the fallacy that Ireland is a land of scholars, and also of the idea that scholarship is nothing more that knowing the grammar of one or two languages and the ability to recite a certain number of lines of poetry, or to pass certain examinations. Nor would anything be lost if the too prevalent idea were killed that the sole purpose of education is to qualify for civil service or public jobs. Of course if education generally were directed on more practical lines such an idea could not survive, and students, when they left school, would be more inclined to continue the study of useful branches in their spare time” (Editorial, Cork Examiner, 1 October 1924).

In an editorial in the Cork Examiner on 1 October 1924 on the value of Adult Education, it opened with commenting on the continuing growing interest in adult education in the United States. Indeed America’s National Education Association (NEA) was created in 1870 and had a strong history of the promotion of lifelong learning. The editor of the Cork Examiner argued that in the cities and larger towns of the Irish Free State, it was a regrettable fact that “comparatively little interest was taken, either by the educational authorities or the people in general, in a movement which, outside of Ireland had made great advancement”.  The active interest in education that was there 25 years previously did not exist. The editor further noted; “Anybody has only to pass through the principal street of the city between eight and ten o’clock to see hundreds of young people strolling about who would be much more usefully employed learning the elements of house-keeping, dress-making, gardening, or perhaps, some more literary branches. And besides those who have only left school, there are hundreds-even thousands-whose spare time could be put to better purpose… a large amount of money is expended on education in this country, a portion of which, in the opinion of many, might be more usefully employed in the provision of continuation classes or schools”.

The editorial goes on to describe that some years previously a certain amount of money was expended on nights classes in country towns and rural villages. The curricula under the County schemes were not very extensive, yet some degree of progress was attained, which promised better things as time went on. According to the editor, “the disturbed state of the country killed these classes for a time”, but there was now an opportunity for revival on a large scale.

Certainly at the Crawford Municipal Technical Institute, the management committee meetings during 1924 reveal a financial deficit and fall off in numbers attending classes. These problems were common-place across the technical institutes in the country as the Irish Free State tried to move away from civil war and build an economic structure for the country.  It is revealed through a response by the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction in early July 1924 that the committee did apply for extra funding for its county and city based programmes. Subsequently, the work of the Cork institute was inspected. The Cork committee was successful in attaining a contribution by the Department towards the County schemes of £2,277 16s 1d. The Department regretted that they were unable to sanction any increases in salary other than those in accordance with approved scales and were unable to consider further increases until the funds of the committee were capable of meeting the expenditure involved by such increases. They hoped that through “exercising rigid economy in its administration” and by improved attendances at the classes that the Cork committee may be able to surmount the difficulties. The Department also pointed out that at least twenty hours’ teaching per week was, as a general rule, required of all whole-time teachers, while classes at which the attendance on four successive lessons had fallen below six, had to, unless in special circumstances, be withdrawn from the curriculum.

By October 1924, there were some efforts to increase class attendances and the Cork Committee sat down with several members of the Cork Workers’ Council. The Council was based at the Mechanics’ Hall, Grattan Street and later at Father Mathew Quay. There was a good response from the various unions in the direction of asking as many apprentices as possible to attend technical education classes. Hence the typographical class was able to raise its numbers to 20- a proportion that had never been reached before. However, the full equipment in the class, machinery etc was missing. A number of articles had been robbed from the school a few years previously. It was noted at the committee meeting that it would cost £309 10s 0d to replace the articles removed. There was also a proposal to utilise the services of the Domestic economy staff for short courses during the month of June. The Inspector’s report also noted that the rooms were defective to hold classes and that ventilation was poor in several domestic economy rooms. However, any changes would have had to coincide with structural alterations to the building.

To be continued…

Caption:

662a. Advertisement for Cashes & Co. Cork, October 1924 (source: Cork City Library)