CHAPTER 426: CHAPTER 103 BINARY SECONDARY SCHOOL

After discussing the navy issues, it mainly relied on Grand Duke Ferdinand, who managed naval affairs, while Constantine coordinated resources.

Ernst was to preside over the upcoming government education meeting, as the graduation of the first batch of primary school students in East Africa had brought the construction of public middle schools onto the agenda.

"Currently, East Africa has completed the universal primary education, and the first batch of students has graduated. This is a good thing for the kingdom. However, compared to countries around the world, our education system is incomplete, especially in advanced education. This means that unless students are exceptionally good and selected by the state for further education, the rest of the students need to be addressed," Minister of Education Dike Helauf said at the meeting.

Ernst: "Middle school education is different from primary school; it requires higher-level teachers. At present, we cannot fully equip the necessary personnel; it may take a few more years. Therefore, students and teachers must endure hardships for now. We can first gather students and establish boarding schools in towns or cities, altering the small-classroom system of primary schools to large-class teaching. Once the shortage of teachers is resolved, we can switch back."

In essence, this state is similar to Ernst’s previous life experience of attending school in rural areas, where middle schools existed only in towns and above, with few middle schools in villages. After the universalization of primary education in East Africa, almost every village had a primary school, but middle schools could not be as widespread as primary schools.

This is mainly Ernst’s responsibility because, in the early stages of talent cultivation, resources were tilted towards the military and government. As a result, the intellectuals trained at Heixinggen were almost all rapidly trained; handling primary education was fine, but it’s not so easy for middle school teachers where several years of knowledge accumulation is required to meet standards.

In this era, middle schools were not divided into junior high and senior high schools. It was not until the mid-19th century in Europe that high schools emerged, generally serving as preparatory schools for universities.

Ernst also does not plan to implement high school education; two separate systems are unnecessary. This requires extending the duration of middle school education in East Africa, as there is much to learn, providing a better connection to European universities.

Ernst continued: "Middle school education cannot be as perfunctory as primary education. It’s acceptable for us to fake it, but European universities won’t accept such intakes. Therefore, for middle school education, we must enhance management, strengthen subject learning, especially in cultural subjects. After primary school graduation exams, students need to be streamed, with the top 20% entering Liberal Arts Middle Schools, while the remaining students go to Technical Middle Schools."

Liberal Arts Middle Schools are similar to the combination of junior and senior high schools in previous life, while Technical Middle Schools are akin to vocational schools. Although European universities do not recruit students from Technical Middle Schools, in reality, not ordinary families can afford to attend Technical Middle Schools of this era.

Furthermore, Ernst, having received a complete nine-year compulsory education, plans to incorporate middle school education into East Africa’s compulsory education system at once.

Ernst summarized: "East African compulsory education should be divided into two stages. The first is universal primary education, which every East African child must compulsorily undergo, with a five-year term. The second stage is dual-track middle school education, also universal but distinguishing between students who excel academically to prepare for university and those aiming to enter the workforce, with a curriculum of five years as well."

Letting average academic students enter society directly after graduation is not due to Ernst’s disregard for educational issues but due to the features of the current era.

Take Belgium as an example. In 1842, 1% of the workforce in a cotton mill was child labor (ages 5–9), but by 1879, children in this age group comprised 9%. Older child laborers (ages 10–14) constituted 34% as early as 1859.

Of course, Belgium is somewhat unique; after all, Leopold II was indeed a model Benevolent Monarch, achieving certain successes in Belgium’s industrialization, albeit at the expense of Belgian women and children entering factories and mines during the rough industrialization process.

Prussia is rather special. Although Prussia pushed for compulsory education, allowing school-age children to complete primary education, the original intention was peculiar: child labor in factories led to a military reserve shortage. Out of military considerations, Prussia enacted the first modern worker protection law, banning the employment of children under ten, and preventing children under sixteen from working more than ten hours. Fittingly military-style, but the outcome is beneficial, nonetheless.

Of course, before Prussia unified Germany, the German states had their laws. After unification, Bismarck began legislating throughout Germany, extending Prussian laws across the region and refining the existing legal system.

In comparison, East African children are relatively fortunate. Laws established during the colonial period strictly prohibited social labor for children under seven. Children over seven were required to undergo compulsory education.

East African primary schools have a five-year term, meaning students graduate at least by the age of twelve. Outstanding students or those who finish early may be nominated by teachers to take the kingdom’s twice-yearly special recruitment exams and then study abroad in Europe.

Thus, the first batch of East African official overseas students only numbered five hundred. Prior special recruitment had already sent a few students abroad early, although there were only forty-three individuals—these are the so-called prodigies. Excluding them, the remaining eight hundred sixty-two had three hundred seventeen students enter Heixinggen Military Academy directly.

The others, due to physical or gender (females) reasons, couldn’t enter Heixinggen Military Academy directly, requiring them to repeat a year at First Town’s primary schools. Once the middle school is completed, they’ll enter the Liberal Arts Middle School, receiving special treatment for special circumstances.

The total enrollment of the first batch of East African primary school students was 1,405, which is the entire East African kingdom data.

This is understandable. East Africa’s immigration tends to be screened in the Far East, as those under 15 cannot immigrate alone (except families). After all, the hardships of sea travel are unbearable for most.

However, the situation dramatically changed as East African colonies expanded, leading to an immigration boom and birthrate surge. In the coming years, East African schools might overflow with students.

Upon graduation from East African primary schools, students continue five-year middle school education. By the time they graduate, they’ll be seventeen years old, which Ernst considers a reasonable age.

East African care supports them until adulthood. From a national perspective, the East African government has fulfilled its responsibility.

Ernst continued: "Essentially, our middle school education is poverty education, so the unified exams inevitably sacrifice diversity. We cannot ignore students who skew heavily toward or excel exceptionally in certain subjects. The government can conduct special assessments for these students, organizing nationwide single-discipline exams to identify these students and establish special schools. However, these schools must be in cities or large towns, to privilege our special talents."