The 48 universities couldn’t be built on a whim, and the classification of the universities under construction, as well as the sourcing of the necessary teaching equipment, all required advanced planning.
In terms of faculty, the talent reserves in Australasia combined with talent attracted from the United States were more than sufficient to meet the teaching needs of these 48 universities.
Arthur was confident in the work of the Ministry of Education, but he emphasized diversifying the types of universities built to ensure they were constructed according to demand and not just in pursuit of quantity.
Among the 48 universities, there needed to be at least two universities specializing in chemical engineering, mechanical design, biopharmaceuticals, medicine, physics and chemistry, education, and aviation, among others.
Arthur required that the number of specialized universities built exceed that of general universities to ensure that the university graduates were those urgently needed by the country.
At the same time, it was also necessary to organize annual military training for university students, with each session lasting no less than two weeks.
The Ministry of Education’s second plan was to expand the scope of compulsory education, including all Immigrants who had not yet obtained citizenship.
Previously, Australasian free education extended only to primary school and included only citizens with citizenship.
With the implementation of the Ministry of Education’s plan, Immigrants without citizenship were also included until they joined the citizenship or were repatriated.
Together with compulsory education, there was also the literacy work targeted at Immigrants who arrived in Australasia at different times.
Compulsory education ensured that the age-appropriate population entered schools to receive the education they should.
However, compulsory education could not guarantee education for those who had missed the appropriate age, especially the new arrivals in Australasia.
On this matter, the Ministry of Education would establish more literacy classes, striving to raise the educational level of the entire population to at least primary school.
Of course, if one was too old, there was no need to join literacy classes. After all, with age, memory fades, and it’s better to stay at home and enjoy one’s later years.
This regulation was particularly favorable for foreign Immigrants, especially those without citizenship, and was likely to garner a lot of goodwill from them.
Even with a good promotion, this policy alone might attract many Immigrants, as free education is always attractive.
The Ministry of Education’s plan did not include the language schools established by Australasian Protestantism.
Nevertheless, these language schools were government-recognized official schools, and those who graduated from them usually had at least a primary school education.
The last part of the Ministry of Education’s plan was about nurturing and preserving the traditional culture of Australasia.
As an immigrant country, it was very important to strengthen the people’s sense of belonging to the country. The fact that the United States could be successfully disassembled had a lot to do with the American people’s lack of identification with the country.
The current policy practiced in Australasia was one nation, one government, one Monarch.
This not only intimately linked Arthur with the country but also significantly increased the stability of the country.
Of course, there are visible downsides to this approach, which is that Arthur held too much control over the country.
If the next Monarch does not have a reputation like Arthur’s, it could be a blow to the stability of the country.
This was also why Arthur strived to develop William’s abilities. Being an absolute Monarch wasn’t easy; without the capability, the power in one’s hands would become a burden.
As time entered mid-February, the government’s development plans were finalized and began to be implemented systematically.
Arthur finally stepped out of his busy schedule, and aside from occasionally attending meetings, he spent most of his time with his family.
The Military unit that William would serve in was also determined. It would be the elite Guards within the standing forces of Australasia.
The Guards were the elite forces of Australasia and the Military Arthur trusted the most.
Having William serve in the Guards was also about ensuring that he gained the Guards’ allegiance, making it easier to control power in the future.
As the King’s direct Military force, the Guards’ loyalty to the King largely determined the power that the King could control.
Unless something unexpected happened, successors to the throne would also serve in the Guards, allowing them to truly experience the life of Soldiers and learn how to win their support.
Of course, to prevent cheating on William’s performance, his service in the Guards would definitely be under a concealed identity, without disclosing his name and status.
Given Arthur’s prestige, if William joined the Guards as the heir to the throne and Arthur’s son, the Soldiers would undoubtedly treat him with due respect, and William would definitely not learn much.
Only by serving in the Military as an ordinary person could William learn what he needed.
Concealing his identity served another important purpose, which was to let these pampered Princes intimately feel ordinary civilian life.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
A Prince who has grown up in a greenhouse-like Royal Palace will always have his vision limited to the Royal Palace.
Only by truly experiencing the ups and downs of society can one understand what the people at the bottom truly need.
Only when the needs of the lower classes are understood can national policies be formulated that align with the interests of the majority, rather than resembling pie in the sky.
After most of the preparations for the World Airplane Expo were in place, Arthur suddenly received a long-distance call from Russia.
Nicholas II, who had not been in contact for a long time, suddenly expressed a need to purchase several Australasian transport planes.
Frankly speaking, even though austrlasia still had an alliance with Russia, Arthur had indeed given up on the expectation of Russia’s resurgence.
Years of war had ravaged Russia’s economy and industry, and, given the current situation, a recovery within ten years seemed utterly impossible.
This was also the reason Arthur sought to strengthen the United Kingdom as much as possible, as it seemed that only Britain might be able to stop Germany if France and Russia were not up to the task during World War II.
But if Russia could recover, it would also be a good thing for Australasia.
The current world situation is too simple, and this simplicity represents danger. Britain is too powerful in the current global context, with all other powerful nations being potential adversaries.
In such a scenario, if a nation like Russia could recover, it would not only muddle the waters of the world situation but also divert the British’s attention.
Furthermore, for Australasia, a chaotic Europe clearly aligns better with its own interests.
It would be best if Britain, France, and Russia fought to the death in Europe, allowing Australasia to conveniently inherit British and Russian legacies and absorb a large amount of talent and capital.
Of course, Arthur agreed to Nicholas II’s request to purchase airplanes.
After all, the purpose of holding the World Expo was to sell planes, and Nicholas II’s purchase would indeed add more appeal to the Expo.
However, both Arthur and Nicholas II understood that buying airplanes was just a means to spark conversation.
If it was just about buying planes, there would be no need for Nicholas II to personally intervene.
After all, Russia had an ambassador in Australasia who could easily procure enough planes with a simple order.
As expected, after a brief chat, Nicholas II steered the conversation to Australasia’s recent annexation of the former American territory of Alaska.
Arthur was not surprised that Nicholas II brought up Alaska, as it was territory that Russia had sold to the United States.
Speaking of this history, it’s certainly one of the darkest chapters that Russians prefer not to mention.
From the perspective of later generations, Russia was definitely the loser in this deal. Alaska, with an area equivalent to Persia, sold for only 7 million US dollars, was unquestionably a loss.
Moreover, Alaska possessed rich gold mines, petroleum, and other mining resources, whose value could be exchanged for countless multiples of 7 million US dollars.
However, at the time of the sale in 1867, the actual circumstances were quite the opposite.
At that time, although Alaska was a vast territory, it was too close to the Arctic Circle and colder than most parts of the Siberia region.
Additionally, Russia had just concluded a war and was experiencing dire economic conditions domestically, while Alaska, located near British Canada, was constantly at risk of occupation.
Under such circumstances, the Russians and Americans naturally winked at each other. Following the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Russia sold Alaska to the United States, igniting a rivalry between the Americans and British in North America over the territory.
The Americans’ rationale was also straightforward. As the Civil War had just ended, the United States was in a relatively weakened state.
At the international level, the United States definitely needed more allies to bolster its influence and ensure the security of its territory.
Both parties agreed at once, thus facilitating this land deal that shocked the world.
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But soon, the Russians realized something was amiss.
The Americans first found gold in Alaska, followed by vast reserves of petroleum and natural gas.
Additionally, Alaska, being surrounded by sea on three sides, boasted a rich fishery. According to statistics, Alaska’s fishery production broke through 2 million tons several years ago, accounting for over 60% of total US fishery output.
The economic value represented by these resources is not something measly 7 million US dollars can gauge.
Even if it was 7 million dollars from several decades ago, it still wouldn’t come close to the tip of Alaska’s economic worth.
This has led the Russians to maintain the idea of reclaiming the Alaskan territory, and Russia has had substantial conflicts with the United States over it.
Of course, Alaska is now in the hands of Australasia, and this is likely the real reason Nicholas II reached out to Arthur.