ABSTRACT
Despite the fact that H. C. Dent’s contribution to the wartime reform has been recognized by historians, his democratic ideals and arguments for reforms have not been investigated thoroughly. This chapter therefore formulates Dent’s positions concerning various educational debates and, more significantly, analyses how Dent argued for his reform proposals on the basis of his democratic principles, which were primarily characteristic of liberal democracy. In line with his democratic ideals, Dent maintained that the school-leaving age must be replaced by the minimum age of entry into employment at the age of 16, and that between the ages of 16 to 18 education must become predominant. In general, Dent’s reform proposal for public schools was very distinct from that of Shena, who maintained that these schools should be abolished and transformed into state schools that would be under the control of the Local Education Authorities and mainly provide boarding education.
