Chapter 156: Chapter 134, What Trash is the Agent?
The construction of schools was entrusted to Osenia by Gu Hang, who specifically instructed her to set up the frameworks of the three academies first.
Osenia felt somewhat puzzled; according to previous discussions, their primary focus in education should have been adult education, which included literacy campaigns and basic worker training to facilitate factory work.
In addition to four to six years of compulsory general education for children and teenagers.
This was a very pragmatic approach.
Isn’t education supposed to cost money?
Adult education aimed to train individuals for short-term roles so they could quickly adapt to their positions, even if the training was somewhat perfunctory, it was still better than having manpower that couldn’t be utilized effectively; education for children and teenagers, on the other hand, was focused on building for the future, as well as a reluctance to employ child labor which both compromised future potential and offered low productivity.
However, in terms of education, besides the students being dedicated full-time, a substantial number of full-time teachers are also required. All of these individuals would need governmental financial support, all costing money.
As for school buildings, that was an easier matter. It was only a few buildings, and planning a specialized construction area during Revival City’s large-scale development wasn’t a difficult task at all.
But according to the governor’s current statements, these three academies each qualified as institutions of higher education.
How long has it been since Rage Owl Star had such schools? Intellectuals in the wasteland, at least those Osenia had seen, mostly pursued private education, small-scale elite training involving private tutors, education from elders, and families with substantial assets.
She herself was somewhat of that sort.
Higher education?
It wasn’t that it was a bad idea, but wasn’t it a bit premature?
Not to mention the difficulty of finding enough qualified teachers.
The Comprehensive Academy might be manageable, and Loyal Heir Academy could rely on reassigning military personnel, even unabashedly asking for help from the Phoenix, or even sending people to the Phoenix Monastery for advanced training.
But what about the Technical Academy?
Among the forces under the governor, Wu Jiarong was the only one who could truly be considered a superior technician; the rest, her students, were merely ordinary junior specialists and could not assume the responsibilities of a teacher.
The same was true for Comprehensive Academy; was it really feasible to have local intellectuals who were brought up on so-called elite education and family education take on teaching? It wasn’t impossible, but they would have to be carefully screened for suitability and undergo retraining at Loyal Heir Academy first.
She presented these concerns to the governor, and Gu Hang didn’t insist on her implementing the plans without question but instead provided an explanation.
Of course, the “explanation” wasn’t about revealing some system or something of the sort.
“It’s not that we have to put it to use right now; I am aware of the issues you mentioned. However, we need to start by putting the framework in place. Even if the content taught isn’t good enough yet, it will at least provide a destination for teenagers who have completed their compulsory education and for those with potential who are eager to further their studies. It’s correct to do things step by step, but we must also initiate the process,” he said.
“I understand,” she replied.
After accepting the explanation, Osenia left.
The matter of education, even without a new [Architectural] System interface, was still something Gu Hang would have pursued, it was merely brought forward in time, with the added benefit of divine support.
The boosts provided by the Architectural System weren’t massive, but their critical aspect was their longevity. Whether it was for the academies or for factory enhancements, as long as the core areas under control could maintain stable production, these benefits could last for a long time.
Compared to short-term expenses, the long-term output was definitely valuable.
Of course, if warfare constantly threatened the areas, even the factories and schools with Architectural System benefits would be destroyed, and there would be nothing to say about it.
…
After Osenia left, Dennison Henry entered shortly afterward.
He had come over from Rubbish Town just this morning.
It wasn’t specifically to serve as an advisor to Gu Hang; he actually had business to attend to.
“Do you need more military supplies?” Gu Hang asked.
“Yes,” Henry replied, his expression showing a touch of embarrassment. It seemed like only last week he’d said that the previous request for military supplies was the last one, but here he was again needing more.
But he had no choice.
Currently, he not only served as a consultant for the New Alliance Ministry of Commerce, aligning with the governor, but over the past two months in Rubbish Town his status had risen significantly. The once coveted role of an agent, which he could only dream of before, was now within his grasp, and he had indeed secured it.
Besides assisting the governor, he now had to consider the interests of Rubbish Town as well.
Fortunately, in his view, these two roles did not conflict.
Choosing his words carefully, he continued, “The main threat is still those Green Skin Orcs. Their numbers seem to have grown even more compared to two years ago. Our scavengers in Rubbish Town… have abandoned several scavenging sites with decent yields; adventurers have gathered and fought against those Green Skin Orcs several times, but to be honest, the physical strength of those green beasts is too high. Even though their weapons are rather primitive, their individual combat capabilities far surpass that of the armed adventurers.”
As he said this, he paused and looked up to gauge the governor’s reaction before continuing, “Affected by those Green Skin Orcs, all of Rubbish Town’s waste recycling industries have reduced their output by about 20%. If the situation worsens, this figure is likely to increase. The last batch of military supplies sold to Rubbish Town definitely proved useful; we armed over three thousand scavengers and managed to withstand the invasion of those Greenskins. However, the losses were significant, and not only are we incapable of retaking the original scavenging sites, we are also unsure how much longer we can hold them off.”