Conant Calls Time Wasting Students Drags on Colleges

Wealthy students who come to college with no particular end in mind and who "are inclined to waste time and money on what passes for a college education" are the bane of the present American college system, President Conant writes in a recent issue of Newsweek.

To overcome this drag on four-year colleges, Conant again raises the standard of his favorite educational innovation, the two-year community college. Only students who have real goals in mind should take advantage of four-year programs, he feels. The undecided and those who might not otherwise have a chance for higher education would attend the two-year colleges, which would give a Bachelor in General Studies degree.

Conant also examines some of the financial problems which at present beset our educational system. Although "public education is a local responsibility and therefore must be financed at least in part by taxes raised in each community," Conant feels that Federal aid to public education may be required in states which cannot raise the necessary taxes.

On the secondary level the president stresses the need for high schools with "work experience" programs.

In closing his article Conant hits at the "fantastically low salaries" given present-day teachers, and he also proposes new plans to educate more and better school administrators. Harvard's own Graduate School of Education has already started work on training 20 such administrators a year.