AbstractsEducation Research & Administration

(a) General: The legal responsibility for education in the Transvaal rests with the State. Primary and secondary education are the care of the Transvaal Provincial Administration through its Education Department , while technical , university and adult education are the care of the Central Government through its Union Department of Education. Although the educational facilities thus provided compare very favourably with those provided overseas, certain serious gaps are left , notably in the pre-school and in the post-school ages5 and also in certain aspects of the education of the school-going child, particularly in the case of the maladjusted child. Although the primary function of the Johannesburg Social welfare Department is social welfare, it fills some of these gaps , either wholly or in part , through some of its welfare provisions. It is seldom possible to separate social welfare services from educational services, as these two overlap to a large extent . The only difference is often only in point of view. Whereas Social Work wants to combat and remedy social evils, education wants to prevent them. There is thus much truth in the statement that what is social is also educational , and what is educational is also social. All welfare services, or for that matter any services, which tend to promote the bringing of the immature to a state of maturity, are also educational. (b) Educational Activities of the J.M.S.W.D.: The services provided by the J.M.S.W.D. which are of educational significance are Play Centres, Park Supervision, Youth Social Centres, Community Centres, Sheltered Employment and Occupational Therapy, Research, Statistics and Propaganda. (1) Play Centres: Play Centres were established in Johannesburg by the Social Welfare Department to provide for the urgently felt need for suitable and adequately organised recreational facilities in order to prevent juvenile delinquency and to keep the children away from the many dangers of the streets. The first Play Centre was opened in August, 1941, in Mayfair. Since then six more play Centres have been established in Johannesburg. The Play Centre movement started in England and America towards the end of the nineteenth century to compensate children for the loss of their play facilities as the result of the industrialisation of the cities with the consequent lack of wholesome ways of spending leisure time. Play is necessary for children as it not only fulfils a natural and fundamental urge, but it is also highly educative. The Play Centres, which were established to provide the necessary play and recreation facilities, aim at being remedial, rehabilitative, preventive, promotive and formative. They are remedial in so far as they aim at correcting existing mistakes, maladjustments and behaviour abnormalities. They are rehabilitative in so far as they aim at rehabilitating behaviour problem children. They are preventive in so far as they aim at preventing delinquency, sickness and disease, and undesirable friends and practices. They are promotive in so far as…