“Children, Work, and Compulsory Schooling”

 

In the article “Motherhood and Public Schooling in Victorian Toronto”, Christopher Clubine is articulating the various reasons behind the absenteeism of children in schools and the actions taken by the authorities to check the children’s irregularities. The main purpose of Clubine to write this article is to address the issues of child labor and its impact on public schooling in the mid and late nineteenth century in Toronto. The main sources used for the evidence are W.C Wilkinson’s daily work diaries. Clubine tracks down all the rules and regulations which were imposed on families and their children to attend school regularly and to follow all the responsibilities as a mother to prepare her child for school to be called a child from a respectable family. This article throws light on Canadian past by using reliable primary sources and develops a convincing argument about the young people who were compelled to attend schools so as to maximize the attendance rate and to indulge children in regular schooling. The idea of dress code, sanitation, punctuality, and respect were the major elements which helped in improving the living standards of the people somehow and the promotion of ‘principles of sound education’ became possible.

Apart from all the mothers and children factors, an important factor of fathers was not considered by the author which could have made this article more convincing.

At the end of the article reading, a question struck my mind that why the reformers did not think about educating women and mothers in the first place?

 

The article by Robert McIntosh, “The Boys in the Nova Scotian Coal Mines: 1873 -1923” mainly emphasizes on a world in which boys worked not only to contribute to their family’s income but also indulged themselves in highly skilled responsibilities. This led them to a secure future employment as adults. Formal schooling was least prioritized. McIntosh wrote this article to elucidate the condition of boys who were indulged in extensive labor, how the circumstances of boys’ work changed with time and how a modern primary system of education was established later in Nova Scotia. Primary sources like Provincial Workmen’s Association (PWA)’s records like PWA newspaper and Trade Journal’s records were used to gather evidences to provide convincing argument about how the boys (below 18) in the late nineteenth century were working in mines to help earn bread for their families and the establishment of education system in Nova Scotia which led to the change in social attitudes and redefined childhood.

This article actually describes the harsh story of boys and the lack of formal schooling in the late nineteenth century. I find this article very useful as it describes a particular work condition in detail and hence this article contributes to the wider historiography on the topic.

The article “The Rhythm of Work and the Rhythm of School” by Ian E. Davey fetches evidence from Egerton Ryerson writing in the Chief Superintendent’s Annual Report for 1850 and The Workingman’s Journal to shed light on rural and urban areas’ school system respectively, in Ontario. He mostly focused on causes of irregularity of attendance of students which was failing the free school system in Ontario. The truancy was blamed on parents, poverty, climatic conditions, crop failure and other harsh realities in rural and urban areas.

As the title of the article says, the working class families including the children had all the household and other works to accomplish which led to the utilization of most of the time in fulfilling household and other responsibilities due to which the attendance of children in schools was disturbed. Despite numerous hindrances, later, the free and compulsory education system was generally accepted in Ontario.

 

Why have young people being compelled to attend school and should this still be the law?

 

In the context of Canadian history, there was a lack of awareness about education and its power. Additionally, there were many other reasons for truancy like household responsibilities. With time, gradually, it was realized by everyone that only education can change the world. Reformers started to ponder upon the irregularity and absenteeism of students in schools and the various steps were taken to check the truancy.

Regularity should be mandatory in every possible way, but in the present scenario in Canada, there is no need to compel anyone for regular attendance as people have become aware of the same.

In the context of India, there are many places which are too backward and the government is still making several efforts to spread awareness among people using media to encourage them for the children’s regular schooling for which the students are provided with free and compulsory education, free stationery, free dresses, free lunch in schools etc.