Our Daily News Letter

(By Our Cairo Correspondent)

One of the Egyptian teachers who was among the group which visited Palestine recently, has published a series of articles on this excursion in the Egyptian daily “Rokab Csherk.” In one of the articles dealing with the Tel-Aviv schools it is stated inter alia:-

“What I have seen and the information received enables me to report on their system of education in general. Children between four and six years of age are sent to kindergartens where they acquire a good knowledge of Hebrew, drawing, music and handi-work taught in a practical, attractive way. In all the classes of schools of this category visited by us we could see the children’s activity. love of work and seriousness in the full meaning of the term, as we could realize the teachers’ patience in the education of children of that age. There were ample tools for the children and everything was extremely tidy. The more we saw of the tuition of these children, the more we liked them and wished to visit as many kindergartens as we could. We were specially charmed by the music lessons where the pupils were singing delightfully, accompanied by the teachers.

“From kindergartens the pupils go to elementary schools where they are given free tuition for eight years and are prepared to earn their livelihood in various ways, while the rich who can afford to pay tuition fees, join secondary schools from which they may pass to high schools. School fees in these institutions vary from P.T.50 to P.T.250 per month, besides the fees paid for special lessons as music, etc.

“Nothing interested us as much as the co-education which we saw in many schools and the excellent method of the men and women teachers which led to to believe in the entire success of their system of education. Despite their advanced age, the teachers personified activity, patience and zeal, while the pupils were symbols of love for study. As regards the tuition, it does not differ much from that given in our schools, except that all lessons are in Hebrew. What struck me is how they could find all the Hebrew terms necessary for such modern sciences as chemistry, natural history and euclid. though Hebrew is a dead language. while teachers in Egyptian high schools of medicine, mechanics, etc. complain of the limited terminology of the Arabic vocabulary and are compelled to teach certain matters in English.

“Another thing with which I was pleased was that they teach Arabic, English and French in addition to Hebrew. while they do not combine the tuition of foreign languages and that of national language until pupils have acquired a sound knowledge of the latter. For instance, Arabic is taught but in the fifth year in primary and secondary schools, i.e., when the pupil has already spent seven years in the study of his national language. They do not teach two foreign languages in one year, as we do in our secondary schools. I must not omit to mention the absence of any tendency towards unnecessary luxury among this people. In the office of the principal of the college we saw a plain desk, a few seats and no luxurious furniture.

“Their agricultural and commercial schooling differs from ours in the scientific experiments made by the teachers in modern laboratories.

“The effects of a few years’ professional teaching in their schools are much greater than those achieved in our schools, because their teachers spend days and nights in their laboratories, while ours go for a walk as soon as the class is over.”

With 200 jobbers and manufacturers expressing willingness to settle with the union in the strike of 40,000 garment workers, individual contracts will be signed tonight with all applicants, Morris Sigman, president of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union said.

The agreements. Mr. Sigman said, would embody all the strikers’ demands, including wage increases, limitation of contractors, a guaranty of thirty-six weeks’ employment yearly and the forty-hour week. Salvatore Ninfo will head the settlement committee.