Page 246 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

566 Records of Bahrain

Vor the purpose of teaching if.ngli.yh, :’A«v.tiiT:.":;«\iv:Loa bMtiuuhi,
aivil Drawing, the school would ho uivided Into o.lv lA.tTilrZir.TXOi
clauses, if.ach of those might be given L SfflgliriU and AND fjit'vYariG
G* Mathematics lessons per week. With the numbers of
pupils suggested, those subjects could be taught by the some teacher
throughout the school. Drawing should bo taught by trade instructors,
at least two of whom should posses?the necessary qualifications for
this work, It would not bo necessary to teach Drawing separately to
euch trade group. Under the scheme ahovm in the table on page 11,
the subject could bo taught to each school class a3 a whole without
disturbing the interests of the engineering and building trade groups
respectively. The subject should occupy two double periods (about
3 hours in all) per week throughout the school course.
Before dividing new entrants into their school PRKVJWlWWiV:
classes and trade groups they should undergo a prelim­ COURSIS.
inary course of technical instruction of about three
nonths duration. For this purpose the new students, numbering
about 60, would be divided into temporary groups for training in
elementary craft work. They would learn many of the basic processes
of woodwork and metalwork and the use of the principal tools. Their
practical exercises would provide a means of judging their ability
and aptitude before allocating thorn to the specialised trade groups.
Simultaneously with this primary craft course the teaching of English,
!!i\Uiematics and Drawing could be commenced, and so arranged that no
break occurred in the continuity of these studies when, at the end of
the three months, the division into permanent classes took place.
The total time devoted to workshop instruction HOURS OP
would depend to 001.10 extent on the customary hours WORKSHOP
and seasons of school work in Bahrain, It is, however, IN3TIUJCTX0N,
.pito reasonable to have longer hours in a technical
school than is usual in other schools, for workshop practice provides
considerable freedom aud physical activity, and also in craft v/ork
thought is less constrained than is the case during ordinary school
lessons. During the greater part of the school year it should be
possible to maintain ir the Technical School a working week of 36
hours, 8 to 18 of which would be devoted to class lessons. It might
be argued that the total of some 8,000 hours of v/orkshop training
ihlch each pupil would receive during his two-your course is a poor
substitute for the type; of trade apprenticeship carried out by boy:;
In the western industrial countries, where something 7 Lke five or six.
limes; this total period is considered necessary in the mechanical
trades. In answer to this argument it may be pointed out that in a
technical school the pupils arc either under instruction or careful
observation during practically the whole of their workshop time,
vhereas in a factory the apprentices spend a great portion of their
lime on. production work, much of which lias very little instruction!
value. Thus, ;x school training is more intensive than the tradition-
57 trade apprenticeship, and, moreover, ia likely to cover a greater
range of v/ork in a thorough and systematic mariner.
There now come;: t; « question of the kind of work WORKSHOP
jhioh is to be done by ti.c pupils during their periods GKEttCXSEH.
>f workshop instruction. The basis of training in most
jf tlio trades should be a scries of graded exercises, each of which
should have clearly defined rims. No exercise should involve a lot
if meaningless work, tc#rt in planning the exercises ins truetors should
J2 thinking of the amount of practice really necessary for the
perfeetion
’> Tii limiting Mathematic a to 3 periods per week it has been
assumed that in future Technical Schbol pupils will have had
some previous education, and will already know elementary
«*■* j. vtuns t j.v .
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