Introduction of Free Schooling

The introduction of free schooling for the working-class population in the 19th century was to train individuals to have the necessary skills and knowledge for the following main categories of labour: 

1. Manual
2. Semi-skilled and
3. Skilled

Therefore, education was only concerned with producing a workforce that could satisfy the demands of industrial labour. Consequently, the curriculum in those early schools was limited in scope and mainly emphasised the ‘three R’s’: reading, writing, arithmetic; and practical skills for particular occupations. Consequently, it was not necessary to educate such individuals to become independent thinkers who could analyse and solve problems and generate new ideas, qualities which I believe are essential in the development and advancement of modern society.

Unfortunately, the notion of producing a workforce with only adequate practical skills to satisfy the industrial sector of society has perpetuated to modern times. This has resulted in producing a generation of
docile workers that are devoid of the capacity to think for themselves and only to follow instructions to fulfil their specific duties. Here at the Academy, however, the ethos and implementation of my teaching methods is to inspire and generate students that can analyse and think for themselves, and so encourage them to enter university with a view to ultimately achieving roles and occupations in society that can promote the development of human progress.