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Yet, paradoxically enough, more English is being taught than ever
before--if for no other reason than that there are now more pupils in the
schools. By starting in the early grades to teach English as a second
language, this generation of youngsters will grow. up with a command of
both languages; a fact that cannot fail to give them an important advantage
in this world of rapid communication.
In many ways, however, what interests me most in Puerto Rican
education is the program for community adult education established as
recently as 1949. Now education is dealing not only with the oncoming
generation. It is also reaching into a vast backlog of illiteracy and
lack of adequate educational opportunity. You are approaching this
problem with a directness and common sense that are geared admirably to
the needs of each individual community. Adult education today is, in
many countries, badly neglected. Here again Puerto Rico is helping
to blaze a trail that may find an extension in practical projects initi-
ated in countries located half way round the globe.
I hope you will not mistake all this for well-intentioned enthusiasm
which ignores the darker side of the picture. The hurdles you are having
to surmount in the daily business of teaching school are clear. The
problem of illiteracy hangs like a millstone on the effort to create an
intelligent and informed citizenry capable of meeting the tests of
democratic self-government. I know that your schools, even today, are
reaching only 60 per cent of children between the ages of 6 and 18; and
of those between 6 and 12, only 75 per cent are in classrooms.
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"ocrText": "- 8 -\nYet, paradoxically enough, more English is being taught than ever\nbefore--if for no other reason than that there are now more pupils in the\nschools. By starting in the early grades to teach English as a second\nlanguage, this generation of youngsters will grow. up with a command of\nboth languages; a fact that cannot fail to give them an important advantage\nin this world of rapid communication.\nIn many ways, however, what interests me most in Puerto Rican\neducation is the program for community adult education established as\nrecently as 1949. Now education is dealing not only with the oncoming\ngeneration. It is also reaching into a vast backlog of illiteracy and\nlack of adequate educational opportunity. You are approaching this\nproblem with a directness and common sense that are geared admirably to\nthe needs of each individual community. Adult education today is, in\nmany countries, badly neglected. Here again Puerto Rico is helping\nto blaze a trail that may find an extension in practical projects initi-\nated in countries located half way round the globe.\nI hope you will not mistake all this for well-intentioned enthusiasm\nwhich ignores the darker side of the picture. The hurdles you are having\nto surmount in the daily business of teaching school are clear. The\nproblem of illiteracy hangs like a millstone on the effort to create an\nintelligent and informed citizenry capable of meeting the tests of\ndemocratic self-government. I know that your schools, even today, are\nreaching only 60 per cent of children between the ages of 6 and 18; and\nof those between 6 and 12, only 75 per cent are in classrooms."
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