How to Train Social Workers

Miss Mamduha al-Sayyid is one of our cultivated young ladies, and a professor of social studies at the American College of Beirut.

She specialized at institutes in England. Here, in this talk in question-and-answer form, she treats a social subject that is still, among us, in the budding stage.

Q — Now that Lebanon has succeeded in creating a Ministry of Social Affairs, what are the steps that must be followed to support this ministry and make it an effective agent in the nation's renaissance?

A — Yes, we have lately been able to congratulate ourselves on the birth of this ministry, which is clear proof of the stirring of a social awareness that seeks to reform what has gone wrong in society, to treat its social problems, and to bring it relief. And we know that the progress of nations is measured by the life of their individuals from the standpoints of health, morals, and work. The suppression of contagious diseases, the spread of means for improving public health, and the safeguarding of the individual's health are a measure of a nation's progress. The spread of security, and the existence of institutions working to root out social ills and treat them, are proof of how far a country is civilized; and as for the worker, when his rights are protected and his safety is preserved, that is clear evidence of the nation's awareness.

Q — What you have mentioned is true, and we hope all this will come to pass for us and place us in the ranks of the advanced nations.

A — We are in an age in which the word "hope" has become an empty phrase without meaning unless it is backed by work. The time of hopes and wishes is past, and the day of miracles and wonders is over; our condition today is in urgent need of striving and diligence, and of work done earnestly, honestly, and faithfully.

Q — True enough; but what kind of work must we undertake so as to set out on the right road?

A — Work in the social field has a special program, divided into three parts.

Q — And what are these parts?

A — The first part is alerting public opinion to the social problems of the present, by way of the schools, the press, lectures, and broadcasts, to prepare it to accept their solution and dispose it to take a share in improving them.

Q — Can you give us an example of that?

A — Yes, and here is a simple example. Let us take the high rate of infant mortality, most of whose causes go back to the ignorance of the expectant mother and to her delivery at the hands of an ignorant, unlicensed midwife. Can such weakness and ignorance be remedied unless the mother is convinced, and understands the harm of resorting to such a midwife and the dangers it brings upon her and her child?

Q — Of course; this is a question of the utmost importance, to which our ignorant mothers pay no attention.

A — As for the second part, it requires the preparation of officials specializing in social affairs, and this requires schools and special programs. To specialize in such a branch, the student is required to hold one of the higher certificates, such as the baccalaureate, second part, or its equivalent; and afterwards to spend a period of two years or four, according to the grade of the diploma he wishes to obtain, at one of the schools of social studies, so as to become fit for work in that field. And these schools have special programs.

Q — And what are these programs? Won't you tell us something about them?

A — Certainly. These programs include theoretical studies and practical training. The theoretical studies and lectures comprise the following sciences:

psychology in its various branches, economics, political science, social administration, philosophy and sociology, and social medicine. All these subjects call for professors specialized in the sciences named and experienced in the field. And all these studies must follow a definite plan toward a single common goal: to arrive at an understanding of society in all its different aspects, at the capacity to solve its problems by scientific methods, and at the endeavor to secure its comfort and happiness.

Q — It is indeed a wise and orderly plan. And won't you now tell us something about the practical part of the programs?

A — That is the theoretical side. As for the practical part of the curriculum, it should take up an average of 16 hours — that is, two full days — which the student spends in training at various institutions approved by the school board, which keeps in constant touch with them in order to supervise the training of its students. These institutions must also enjoy the administration's confidence, so that trust may be placed in the reports sent to it by the directors of the work on the degree of the student's success in the practical field and on his ability.

Q — And what are the kinds of this practical study, and what do you mean by the reports that are sent?

A — The kinds of practical study are very numerous. They usually involve training in the country's principal industries and in its large establishments, in order to examine the conditions of the worker and the work, to grasp the social situation, and to verify by work and practice what is studied in theory. When I was specializing in this subject in England, it was my duty to spend one full day a week, for a period of three months, over and above my university studies, in a large factory employing 16,000 workers, moving in it from one department to another and from one plant to another, criticizing the workers' condition, studying, and working under the managers' orders. And it fell to the lot of some of my English companions who wished to specialize in the labor service to spend their days working in the factory like the rest of the workers, living as they lived and drawing their wages, in order to experience the toil and strain the worker goes through, and how it affects his spirits and his work.

Q — That is fine indeed, and no doubt of great benefit, as you say. And what more of this practical program?

A — I also used to go one day a week, for three months, to one of the infant and maternity welfare clinics, working with them and training; and at the end of the period I would be transferred to new work, and so on — this besides inspection visits, once a week, to the various institutions. As for the reports I mentioned, they are of the greatest importance: however successful the student may be, he cannot obtain his diploma unless the reports sent in by those with whom he worked testify to ability, fitness, and excellence.

Q — And can we establish such schools in Lebanon?

A — Yes, this is possible, especially as the idea of the Lebanese University occupies the minds of many of our thinkers and men of opinion. When this idea comes into being, it will be essential to found a college of social studies, supervised by specialist trainers, to graduate for the nation and for the department of social affairs the social officials it needs.

Q — Do you think conditions ought to be laid down for specializing in such a subject?

A — That is a pertinent question, for specialization in such a field requires that the student be mature in years, balanced in mind, steady in his emotions, judicious in his conduct, a lover of humanity's good, close to people's hearts, able to win their confidence, to understand their problems, and to help them.

Q — And what are the kinds of specialization in the social field?

A — The kinds of specialization are various, and they come after the general training, which takes a period of two years. There is specialization in social insurance and public health; in crime and its treatment; in domestic problems; in the problems of the poor, of orphans, and of refugees; in workers' problems; and in the problems of the disabled from many social angles... and so on.

Q — You have mentioned, Miss Mamduha, two parts of the program you have drawn up for work in the field of social affairs: the first, alerting public opinion, and the second, training officials. What, then, is the third part?

A — The third part is the division of the work into specialized departments, which begin their work by compiling the statistics they need, then set about drawing up definite programs which they work to apply and carry out according to well-studied scientific plans.