Historical Contexts of Australian Education
A taste of the History
If you lived in the country in the 1800s a small, one room school house on land may have been donated by a local farmer to be used for educational purposes. In the city, if you could not afford to attend one of the schools set up by the various churches, children were tutored by the wife of the local doctor, lawyer, magistrate or other professional as no standard for education existed at that time. However, education was only available to the wealthier middle and upper classes, who could afford to pay tuition.
The government would set up schools so that all children could be taught, not only the three "R's," (reading, writing and arithmetic) but how to be good moral, law-abiding citizens. Opponents of this idea, however, felt that the child of a blacksmith didn't need any more education than what was necessary for him to become a blacksmith, the child of a farmer only what was necessary for him to be a successful farmer, etc. The government allocated money for education and this was used to pay teachers, erect and equip schoolhouses and buy necessary textbooks.
So what Education Facilities were offered back then?
Just like today's world, there were two distinct schools where the children were enrolled; They were:
- A government school was one which had been either set up by the government or was an established school which received monies from the government to continue educating children.
- The majority of the church-run schools (today called elementary schools)were outside this system, and remained so until well into the 1900s. Both boys and girls received instruction in the basic subjects. In addition, girls spent 80 minutes of the day in sewing, knitting and darning instruction while the boys spent this time learning geometry and more geography and arithmetic.
However, school was not compulsory, and some parents required the help of their children to make out a living. The view was that these 'elementary' schools were set up to cater to the lower classes; therefore, it was not considered necessary to add more subjects to the curriculum or to make the school more attractive.
Irish National System
The introduction of the Irish National System into the colony was an attempt to reduce the number of unnecessary schools and provide them where they were most needed. It was also an acceptance of the role of the State in the provision - not just subsidizing - of education.
However, the National System still called for a considerable amount of local initiative and support; the local community was expected to contribute at least one-third of the capital costs of establishing and maintaining its school, to offset part of the cost of the teacher's salary by the payment of school fees, and to form a school committee to manage the affairs of the school.
If you lived in the country in the 1800s a small, one room school house on land may have been donated by a local farmer to be used for educational purposes. In the city, if you could not afford to attend one of the schools set up by the various churches, children were tutored by the wife of the local doctor, lawyer, magistrate or other professional as no standard for education existed at that time. However, education was only available to the wealthier middle and upper classes, who could afford to pay tuition.
The government would set up schools so that all children could be taught, not only the three "R's," (reading, writing and arithmetic) but how to be good moral, law-abiding citizens. Opponents of this idea, however, felt that the child of a blacksmith didn't need any more education than what was necessary for him to become a blacksmith, the child of a farmer only what was necessary for him to be a successful farmer, etc. The government allocated money for education and this was used to pay teachers, erect and equip schoolhouses and buy necessary textbooks.
So what Education Facilities were offered back then?
Just like today's world, there were two distinct schools where the children were enrolled; They were:
- A government school was one which had been either set up by the government or was an established school which received monies from the government to continue educating children.
- The majority of the church-run schools (today called elementary schools)were outside this system, and remained so until well into the 1900s. Both boys and girls received instruction in the basic subjects. In addition, girls spent 80 minutes of the day in sewing, knitting and darning instruction while the boys spent this time learning geometry and more geography and arithmetic.
However, school was not compulsory, and some parents required the help of their children to make out a living. The view was that these 'elementary' schools were set up to cater to the lower classes; therefore, it was not considered necessary to add more subjects to the curriculum or to make the school more attractive.
Irish National System
The introduction of the Irish National System into the colony was an attempt to reduce the number of unnecessary schools and provide them where they were most needed. It was also an acceptance of the role of the State in the provision - not just subsidizing - of education.
However, the National System still called for a considerable amount of local initiative and support; the local community was expected to contribute at least one-third of the capital costs of establishing and maintaining its school, to offset part of the cost of the teacher's salary by the payment of school fees, and to form a school committee to manage the affairs of the school.