SIR,—I believe that if we had a common system of
education, in no way dependent upon the purses of parents, the main cause of social discontent would vanish in a generation.
My plan would be to have three grades of State-maintained schools ; let us call them alpha, beta and gamma. All children would be compelled to attend alpha schools from the age of six, and would be eligible to pass into beta schools between the ages of eleven and fourteen, and into gamma schools between the ages of thirteen and fifteen. Advancement to higher grade schools would be dependent on an examination and a char- acter report from the headmaster. School-leaving ages would be fifteen for alpha, sixteen for beta and eighteen for gamma schools. The uni- versities, again free of charge, would be open to gamma schools and the more promising members of beta schools. A small number of scholar- ships for higher education, outside these age limits, would be necessary to allow for the student who might be late in developing.
The only advantage that the children of richer parents would then have would be their home life. In order to reduce this advantage, any- way among our future leaders, I would make at least the gamma schools into boarding schools.
In order to put this plan into effect it would be necessary for the government to take over all privately-owned schools, those already fitted as boarding schools being most easily converted into gamma schools.
This war has made it painfully clear that the country is not pulling as one man. Let us face the main issues. Drastic action is required if,
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