Background and History of the World Education Forum of South Australia
The 1930’s saw great unrest in the world with the Great Depression, worrying authoritarian regimes in Europe and Japan and the continuing rise of Communism in China. In South Australia the depression resulted in savage cuts to education resulting in considerable unrest among teachers. These cuts further restricted an already narrow curriculum in Australia and SA which contrasted with more liberating innovations in schools in England and the United States of America. As a consequence towards the end of the 1930’s teachers in Australia, and especially SA, were ready for change and hopefully improvement.
In response to the Australian situation Dr K.S. Cunningham, Director of the Australian Council for Educational Research, sponsored a visit in 1937 to Australia by the founder and president of NEF (New Education Fellowship) UK, Beatrice Ensor. Ms. Ensor lead a team of 19 academics to Australia touring all states in what was described as a triumphant conference series throughout the country. They travelled by train and bus. The 19 academics came from Switzerland, Sweden, Scotland, New York, California, England, Japan, Denmark and South Africa.
The 1937 Education Department gazette of April 1937 announced the lecture Series as “Education for Complete Living- The Challenge of today.” The gazette article urged teachers to attend the gatherings of the conference and the Minister gave leave for all teachers to attend provided they joined the NEF. (Read quote on page 3 of the Dr Rupert Best History of WEF.) The conference was held from the 3-9 September 1937. with 1100 in attendance. The conference was largely organised by Mr H.M.Lushey, Head of the Gilles Street School and by Mr.W. Adey Director of Education and Chair of the organising committee.
Following the conference, on the10 September 1937, a preliminary meeting was held to discuss the formation of The SA Branch of the NEF and the SA Branch met for the first time on 11 March 1938.
Several Branches were set up around the state in metropolitan and country areas. The NEF worked steadily during these difficult war years to achieve the following.
- The abolition of the state Qualifying Certificate, awarded at Year 7, with establishment of the internal School Progress Certificate.
- A freeing up of the curriculum.
- The establishment of a Committee of Inquiry into Education in SA in the early 1940’s (The NEF was also heavily involved in this inquiry and set up study groups to intensively examine of the system of Education and of ways of improvement. The findings of these studies were presented to The Inquiry)
A follow up to the 1937 Australasian International Lecture Series was held after the Second World War between the 31s August-12th October, 1946. This Second International Lecture Series, organised by Dr Rupert Best a South Australian tertiary science educator (one of SA ‘s first life members), travelled to all States with 15 international lecturers from India, England, China, Holland, USA, France, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand and Poland. At that time the NEF membership included tertiary, secondary and primary teachers, leaders and administrators who actively supported considerable change in education via regular meetings, study groups, conferences and visiting speakers. Members shared ideas and eagerly sought the opinions and ideas of those who visited educational institutions overseas or came from overseas.
The flow of new ideas and practices continued with another International Lecture Series in 1951, the Australian Jubilee Lecture Series. Lecturers at this time included Dr Margaret Mead and others from England. Themes included Music, Art, English, Social Studies, Science, Religion, Games and Recreation and the intellectual, psychological and physical needs of children.
In 1966 the name of the NEF was changed to the World Education Fellowship which emphasized more the international aspect of the Association and brought together the wide range of countries participating eg USA, UK, Australia, Korea, Japan, The Netherlands, South Africa, India, the Philippines and Poland.
The last time schools were closed in SA to enable all teachers to attend World Education Fellowship conferences during school time was in 1974 with a lecture series in Adelaide entitled, “Education for an Uncertain World”. Six thousand applications were received but only four thousand three hundred participants could be accommodated. The Education Department gave special leave for teachers to attend the 3 day conference resulting in many schools being closed.
In the late 1990’s South Australian WEF changed its name to the World Education Forum S.A. to shake off any religious connotation which had been ascribed to it. Constitutionally, it still maintained its links to the International body in London UK and to other state Sections via the WEF Australian Forum.
Over the years the NEF or WEF made or stimulated significant achievements which included;
- A child / student emphasis in the late 1930s and early 1940s (Parent/ teacher groups were set up to study child development and learning.)
- An individual progression theme emerged in the late 1940s and early 1950s again using regular study groups.
- In the1960s there was a strong emphasis on child and adolescent studies where teacher/parent participants sought to focus on seeing things from the child’s point of view. NEF January weekend, workshop, study groups were held during the 1960’s to discuss the educational, intellectual and psychological development of students. These weekend study groups lead to the introduction of psychology as an option for third year teaching diploma students.
- The involvement of parents in the NEF/WEF during the 1960s
- The involvement of educators from across all levels of education and the community; State, Catholic and Independent schools, the tertiary sector, educational administration, business, industry and parents.
- Commonwealth funding for teacher in-service which provided the replacement costs for teachers to be released to attend conferences and workshops.
- Peace themes of the 1980’s resulted in an international World Education Conference being held here in Adelaide 1988.
- Themes of the 1990’s included the transmission of values, values in the curriculum and WEF as a non government organisation of UNESCO.
- Values and peace education were again prominent in 2004 with an international conference conducted jointly by the UNESCO Australian Council, the World Education Fellowship national body and…..? with strong SA support and leadership in Adelaide at the end of 2004. The aim of this international conference was to bring together the world’s major religions by working together towards improving the education of students about other religions.
We have much to be proud of over the achievements of WEF since 1938, many exciting and fond memories and many long lasting changes for the betterment of education in this state. Some would say that the achievements of WEF in SA helped SA education lead others as a consequence of its child centred approach and more enlightened curriculum and methodology. Changes which we believe still influence what happens for children in this state.
