an institute of education

An Institute of EducationAuthor(s): Phyllis DoyleSource: Caribbean Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 3 (September 1962), pp. 178-181Published by: University of the West Indies and Caribbean QuarterlyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40652823 .

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An Institute of Education Phyllis Doyle

In 1944, during the dangers of a great war, the idea of institutes of education was given official sanction in England in The Educational Act of that year. This idea formulated for the English a very varied pattern of activities that had been stimulated by the exigencies of war. There is some element of comparison between the uprising of aspirations in England in 1944 and the emergence of West Indian aspirations in recent years. It might be of some assistance in clarifying thoughts at this stage when the possibility of the establishment of an Institute of Education in the West Indies, is being discussed to review some of the English concepts of the functions of such institutes. The following extracts are submitted from the McNair Report on teacher training published in 1944 by the British government; for this report was instrumental in the establishment of the existing institutes. In the McNair Report the term "Schools of Education" was used which later became the Institutes of Educa- tion.

PLANNED YET FLEXIBLE

"... When we consider the unintegrated variety of existing training institutions in the light of the teaching needs of the educational system envisaged in the White Paper, it is clear that only a carefully planned yet flexible scheme for the training of teachers will suffice. The Board must now assume the obligation, not of taking over the existing training colleges or of establishing new ones, but of ensuring that training institutions, adequate in number and quality, are available and are fused into a national training system. The planning of this programme of development on the lines which we shall recommend will involve creative, pioneering and experimental effort; and we consider that it should be undertaken on behalf of the Board rather than by the Board itself.

NEED FOR COHERENCE "... The fundamental weakness of the present system is that there are 1 00

institutions engaged in the training of teachers but they are not related to one another in such a way as to produce a coherent training service.

AN INTEGRATED TRAINING SERVICE

"... It is clear to us that the idea of separate and self-contained training institutions must be abandoned. The problem is to retain the services of existing institutions in so far as they are or can be made efficient, to add other institutions which have a contribution to make and, with the co-operation of those whose responsibilities entitle them to an interest in the matter, to weld the whole into an integrated training service. There are, in our view, two workable alternatives which could achieve such an integrated service. One is

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to create a single national service directly controlled by a central authority. The other is to create a system in which real responsibility is borne by the constituent parts, each possessing authority sufficient for the tasks it has to perform.

AREA AUTONOMY

". . . . We are opposed to a single centralised training service. We agree that to bring any form of integrated service into being and to guarantee its development will require, in the initial stages and for some years to come, the pioneering work of a central body of the kind already proposed. This body would advise the Board of Education and other interests concerned about the framework of the service, would plan its expansion over a number of years and would make recommendations to the Government about the financial aid required to create, develop and maintain it. We reject, however, anything approaching permanent central control over the training of teachers. Cen- tralisation of power and authority has potential dangers in every sphere of education and nowhere are those dangers so great and subtle as in the training of teachers. The Board of Education must for many years to come, and perhaps always, be the sole authority with power to recognise a person as a qualified teacher, but neither the Board nor any other central authority should conduct or directly control the education and training of teachers. We therefore picture a national service consisting of a number of area services with a high degree of area autonomy.

FUNCTIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY

"... We do not believe, however, that any area system for the training of teachers can be effective unless those who shoulder the responsibilities derive their authority from a source which, because of its recognised standards and its standing in the educational world, commands the respect of all the partners concerned and which, because of its established independence, is powerful enough to resist the encroachments of centralisation. The universities embody these standards and have this standing and this independence. But quite apart from these considerations the universities have an obligation to the whole educational system. Their vitality depends in part upon the kind of education given in the schools, both primary and secondary; and the schools, in turn, look to the universities for some measure of leadership in educational, as distinct from administrative, matters. There is no more significant way in which this mutual dependence can be expressed than for the universities to play a leading part in the initial education and training of teachers and for them to maintain a creative relationship with practising teachers and others concerned with the conduct of the schools.

SCHOOLS OF EDUCATION (NOW CALLED INSTITUTES OF EDUCATION) i. Responsibility for Teacher Training. ii. Active Co-operation of others.

Hi. Non-graduate Activities. "... These facts lead us to the conclusion that the universities should

accept new responsibilities for the education and training of teachers and.

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to that end, should establish University Schools of Education. Some universities may find it desirable to establish more than one such School. We wish to state with the utmost frankness that we are not proposing something which is comparatively unimportant and which will make no substantial difference to the work of the universities. On the contrary our scheme asks much of them. It demands of the universities a richer conception of their responsibility towards education: it will also involve additional staff, both teaching and administrative. On the other hand we are not proposing that the universities should burden themselves with detailed administration, but rather that they should accept responsibility for the general supervision of the training of teachers and that in that task they should have the active partnership of those already engaged n the work and of others who ought to be engaged in it.

"... Our proposal does not in any way give colour to the suggestion that all teachers should be university graduates. We are convinced that many good teachers would be lost to the profession if any such requirement were insisted upon at the present time. But it does mean that the education and the training of anyone fit to seek recognition as a qualified teacher are the proper concern of a university. If we are asked whether the university would be expected to cast its authority and exercise some supervision over studies which were not of degree standard, our reply would be that the university, without in any way modifying its present work and standards for university degrees, would be expected also to concern itself through its School of Education with other work and other standards.

The functions of an Institute of Education in the West Indies would have to be considered in the light of the circumstances of the West Indies. Here, as in England, there is a great variety of institutions and of governmental controls in the several unitary territories. Nevertheless a few clear cut functions of any such institute would be necessary. Of these perhaps five are vital.

1. The establishment and maintenance of the professional standards of teachers.

This would be effected through the co-ordination of the work of existing teacher training institutions with the co-operation of unit governments and the University of the West Indies.

2. The improvement of standards, by in-service courses, refresher courses, conferences, &c.

3. The establishment of a Centre for Research into Educational problems so that enlightened judgments might be made in Education.

4. The establishment of Centres of Information which would comprise a Library, publications unit, centres for audio-visual aids, &c.

5. The establishment of Schools and Laboratories for demonstration and working out of teaching methods appropriate to the West Indies.

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The breakdown of the Federation might be considered by some people as creating a great difficulty in the formation of an Institute of Education in the West Indies. But this is not so. For the organisation necessary in the new situation can be envisaged as within geographical groups of a convenient size, which minimise the political divisions in order to achieve educational efficiency. Thus we can visualise the setting up in different centres, where perhaps a training college or group of training colleges exists, a Teacher Training Board, such as already exists in Jamaica, where several of the functions enumerated above could begin to develop on a limited scale. As these grew and strengthened they would interlock with each other forming eventually the overall umbrella designated as the Institute of Education. This would leave room for experiment, would maintain local responsibility, and underline the importance of the differing needs of the various Caribbean territories.

4th July, 1962.

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an institute of education

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