See and hear : the journal on audio-visual learning (1945)

The German Educational Films A SUMMARY of the evaluation procedure was released in the form of a pamphlet is- sued in June, 1946, by the British Film Institute: "Report on German Educational Films," British Film Institute, two shillings and sixpence, 4 Great Russell Street, London W.C.I, England. A great deal has been said about the films used in the German system of education from 1930 to the close of World War II. The use and distribution of the German educa- tion films has now been revealed, and a digest is here presented. The organization for the production and distribution and use of Films and other Visual Aids for teaching in Germany was under the direction of the Reichsanstalt fur Film und Bild in Wissenschaft und Unterricht (Na- tional Institute for Films and Pic- tures in Learning and Teaching), the R.W.U. The general framework of the R.W.U. is set out as follows: Relation of the R.W.U. to the Po- litical System: Appointments to the R.W.U. were under the control of the Nazi Government through the Ministry of Education. Goebbels had a propaganda or- ganization similar in structure to the R.W.U.; his constant aim was to try to combine the activities of the two and in some cases he had succeeded in superseding the Landesbildstelle with his Gaufilmstelle. Also, it was laid down in the Ministerial instruc- tions that the R.W.U. must cooper- ate wherever possible, e.g. to arrange for the showing of propaganda films. In spite of the efforts of the Min- ister, the Nazi Party was not alto- gether successful in using the R.W.U. for propaganda purposes. For ex- ample, of the 175 films that have been viewed in England only 19 have been classified as "Tenden- tious." Finance of R.W.U.: The cost of this national organization was met by a levy on the pupils or students in all institutions making use of visual aids. Pupils of schools paid 80 Rfg (al><)ut .30 cents) per annum in two SEE & HEAR REPORT instalments. Students of the Univer- sities and Trade Schools paid I RM (40 cents) per semester. Of the money so collected in each district, 10 per cent was paid back by the R.W.U. to the Landesbildstelle for running costs; 50 per cent was repaid in the form of projection equipment. Each school which contributed was entitled to the use of films and slides free of charge. Thus, on January 1, 1944, all schools which were provided with electricity were equipped with pro- jection apparatus. There were 45,346 film projectors (approximately 2 pro- jectors for 3 schools), and 592,000 copies of 16 mm film had been made ax'ailable. R.W.U. and Production of Films: The R.VV^U. was almost the only source of films used for teaching pur- poses; apart from these a few were obtained from commercial firms and a few were made bv the teachers Organization Chart of German R. W. U. R.W.U. (Reichsanstalt fur Film und Bild in Wissenschaft und Unterricht) The R.W.U., formerly the R.f.d.U. (State Office for Instructional Films) was a semi-private corporation set up to organize production and distribution of instruc- tional films and other visual aids to teaching. It functioned virtually as a Depart- ment of the German Ministry of Education, in the three fields of Films, Slides, and Gramophone Records. Filmstrips were not used in German schools as a matter of policy. Governing Committees Over all this organization (the R.W.U.) there was a Governing Committee, made up of representatives of various Education Authorities, imder the Chairmanship of a permanent official of the Ministry of Education. The Committee was only nominal and met very seldom. President The President, a member of the Nazi Party, worked closely with the Ministry of Education, responsible for the 15 Departments of the R.W.U. Departments dealt with the commissioning or buying and careful supervision of films and Teachers' Guides for the individual films; arrangements for the distribution of the films, the issue of information about films, including methods of using them. Thirty-Seven Landesbildstelle Each of the 37 provincial centers (Landesbildstelle) was in charge of a Leitei, who was appointed by the President or Reichsstatthalter of the Province with the approval of the Minister of Education. Centers received films from R.W.U., arranged for their further distribution, delivered and serviced equipment, instructed teachers in film use, and offered library and working facilities. Occasionally, pro- duced films and slides on local subjects. Landkreis (Rural Center) Stadtkreis (Urban Center) Each of the district and local centers (Landkreis, rural center, and Stradtkreis, urban center) had a Bildstelle (visual material center) which was in charge of a l.citer; generally a part-time teacher with additional pay for his work with films, etc. Appointment by the Landrat or Oberburgermeister with approval of both Parents' Watch Committee and the President. The Bildstelle was usually situated in a room in the offices of the local Educational Authority, where the visual material was stored for loan to the schools, thus forming a direct point of contact with the schools. Universities and the HcKhschulen obtained their films direct from the R.W.U. 34 SEE AND HEAR