CO537-5142 — Page 166

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Important Events and Important Persons.

21.

Commentaries on events of historical or local importance, and speeches by the Governor and other important persons can be broadcast to schools either "live" or by recordings.

SCHOOL BROADCASTING CAN ALSO CONTRIBUTE LESS THAN NOTHING.

22. A system of schools broadcasting is of great value, but only if it is organised at a high standard. If it is not so organised it contributes virtually nothing to the schools, and only costs much labour and money, and wastes school time.

23.

Nothing is easier than to put a lot of dull talk on the air, achieving nothing beyond the gratification of the broadcaster and the boredom of the listener. Nor is it particulary/difficult to broadcast entertaining material which grips a juvenile audience like a film thriller, but achieves no educational purpose.

24. I recommend strongly that no action should be taken in starting a schools broadcasting service in Hong Kong.unless there is reasonable certainty that it can be organised soundly, and at a high standard, and on a permanent basis.

ESSENTIALS OF AN EFFECTIVE SERVICE.

25. In each of 30 or 40 weeks in the year a dozen or two dozen broadcasts are to be transmitted; in general they must be of such a high standard that. they make a positive stir in the classroom. None should fall below a certain standard, because only a few errors in the essentials of a broadcast make a class lose interest, and the class has to lose interest in only two or three broadcasts for a teacher to consider whether he ought not to give up the use of broadcasts altogether. The teacher is concerned with a tight timetable, a crowded syllabus, an examination somewhere in the offing, and a large class of children whose discipline and morale he cannot afford to upset, a high standard in all broadcasts, all the time, is absolutely necessary.

26.

The service must be satisfactory in all its aspects as described below not only sometimes, or most of the time, but all the time.

Planning.

27.

Every broadcasting series must be planned with an explicitly stated class in mind. It must fit the syllabus followed by that class, or must be such a kind that the class teacher feels it worth giving up for it, time which otherwise would be spent on the syllabus.

It must be in accordance with modern and expert views of the subject itself, and the best ways of teaching it.

28.

29.

The series must be planned to move at the right pace for the children, the teachers and the syllabuses concerned; and to make its own limited con- tribution to classroom work, not attempting to do what is better done by the teacher.

30. It must steer a steady course between teaching too much and teaching too little. It must be planned so that it is not disastrous to a class if it misses one or two broadcasts in the series. It must be planned too so that each broadcast will make "good radio", that is to say, will make an immediate impact on the children and hold their attention.

31. The planning of a series commonly needs the co-operation of the best specialist available, for example, from the staff of the University; of a person who is an expert teacher on the subject in the school classroom; and of a "Programme Assistant" from the Schools Broadcasting staff. None of these