CHAPTER IV. ELEMENTARY EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND IN 1892.1 GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. Constitutional Monarchy. Total population (census 1891), 37,879,285. a University, exclusive of the colleges. Whitaker's Almanac (1893) gives a total of £200,187 as the combined income of 19 Oxford colleges and £305,061 as that of 17 Cambridge colleges. The number of students given in the Commissioner's report for 1889-'90, vol. 1, p. 563, is much too small; the figures there tabulated were taken from "Minerva," which in its recent edition has corrected the mistake. c Calendar 1892-'93. d Calendar 1891-'92. 1 By A. Tolman Smith, specialist in English and French school systems. 97 Estimated population, 29,403,346. ENGLAND. Statistics 1892-Effects of the law of 1891 remitting school fees-Subjects of study required or recognized by Government-Training colleges, attendance and expenditure--Relations of education department to secondary schools and colleges-Importance of university training colleges; views of J. G. Fitch. According to the official report for the year ending August 31, 1892, accommodation had been provided in schools on the list for Government inspection for 5,730,888 pupils; the enrollment in these schools was 5,037,402 (17.13 per cent of the estimated population), and the average attendance 3,892,989. Comparison at this point with the statistics of other countries will be misleading unless it be considered that the children in infant schools under 7 years of age are included in the foregoing enrollment. If the number of these (1,493,620) be subtracted the enrollment reduces to 12 per cent of the population. The establishment and local control of these schools is in the hands of (1) school boards (2,331 in number), elected under the school law of 1870; (2) private managers, chiefly denominational. About 40 per cent of the pupils registered are in board schools. Further statistics given in the report relate to schools actually visited by the Government inspectors in the year under review (119 less than the number on the list). These schools enrolled 5,006,979 pupils, a little more than 99 per cent of the entire enrollment. Their average attendance was 3,870,774 (boys, 2,029,240; girls, 1,841,534), or 77.3 per cent of the enrollment. The teaching force employed comprised 99,291 persons, of whom 49.12 per cent had Government certificates; 23-72 per cent were assistant teachers, not certificated, and 27-16 pupil teachers. The proportion of women teachers, which has been steadily rising since 1870, was as follows in each class: Certificated, 60 per cent (48 in 1869); assistant, 79 per cent (60 in 1869); pupil teachers, 78 per cent (57 in 1870). In addition to the pupils in day schools, night schools had an average attendance of 65,561. The total expenditure (day and night schools) was $39,919,145, derived as follows: From Government grant, 43 72 per cent; local taxes (rates), 20-75 per cent; school fees, 15.65 per cent; voluntary subscriptions, chiefly in denominational schools, 19.88 per cent. Of the entire expenditure 76-46 per cent was for salaries, 6-18 per cent for books and apparatus, 17:36 per cent miscellaneous. The rate of expenditure per capita of average attendance was $10.22, all schools included; in board schools only, $11.75. The total expenditure was equivalent to $1.35 per capita of population, and the amount derived from public fuuds (i. e., Government grant and local taxes, $25,769,037) to 872 cents. The year under review is the first year of the operation of the law providing for the remission of school fees (law of 1891), and the report Signed by the president of the committee of council on education, Right Hon. Earl of Kimberley, and by the vice-president, Right Hon. A. H. Dyke Acland. gives some indications of the effect of this provision. As regards expenditure, nothing can be inferred at present, because schools accepted the terms at different times, many just at the close of the year, and the accounts are not yet adjusted. Of the schools inspected 15,170 had remitted fees, the number of free pupils on their registers being 3,429,577, or 68 per cent of their total enrollment. Since the close of the year the number of free schools has increased. At present only 142 schools have refused the fee grant. The report says: It was anticipated that the abolition or diminution of school fees for children between 3 and 15 would raise the number of children on the registers, and more especially that of infants. This has been found to be the case. The number of infants has increased by 114,577 (6.94 per cent) and that of older scholars by 67,719 (2.13 per cent), and had the statistics now under consideration related to a period of twelve months, showing the full effect of the act, the increase shown, both of infants and of older scholars, would doubtless have been somewhat larger. But still more satisfactory than the increase in the number of children on the books is the increase in the average attendance (3.22 per cent), which is, indeed, the special feature of the statistics for 1892. This increase is mainly due to the increased regularity of attendance of the older scholars, for while every 100 infants added to the register increased the average attendance by 51 only, there was an addition of 92 to the average attendance for every 100 older scholars added to the registers during the year. The item of average attendance has peculiar importance because the whole of the grant for infant schools (i. e., for children 3 to 7), and 96 per cent of the grant for schools for older pupils (7 to 14), is estimated on that basis. In order to share in the grant a school must have had at least 400 half-day sessions in the year, and must have afforded instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic, drawing for boys, and needlework for girls. Few schools limit themselves to these branches. In 1891-'92 only 11 per cent of schools for older scholars failed to secure the grant for additional subjects, while 90,070 pupils were presented for examination in one or two specific subjects which correspond to our high-school studies. One-third of this number were in the London school board district. The grant for cookery was earned by 90,794 girls, and that for laundry work by 2,766. As a result of the regulation making drawing compulsory for boys, which took effect September, 1891, the number of schools in which the branch was taught rose from 6,075 in 1890-'91 to 17,048 in 1891-'92. Manual instruction was given in 285 schools, science in 513, and physical exercises in 1,703. School libraries have been established in 5,560 schools. The training colleges for teachers under Government inspection and receiving public grants number 44 residential colleges and 14 day colleges, having a total of 3,957 students. The year's expenditure for these colleges, practice schools included, was $970,791, of which 68 per cent was borne by the Government. The official report under consideration deals only with elementary schools, in which category the training colleges are included. Elementary education, however, although the chief, is not the exclusive province of the educational department. It has been brought into relations Estimated population, 29,403,346. ENGLAND. Statistics 1892-Effects of the law of 1891 remitting school fees-Subjects of study required or recognized by Government-Training colleges, attendance and expenditure-Relations of education department to secondary schools and colleges—Importance of university training colleges; views of J. G. Fitch. According to the official report for the year ending August 31, 1892, accommodation had been provided in schools on the list for Government inspection for 5,730,888 pupils; the enrollment in these schools was 5,037,402 (17.13 per cent of the estimated population), and the average attendance 3,892,989. Comparison at this point with the statistics of other countries will be misleading unless it be considered that the children in infant schools under 7 years of age are included in the foregoing enrollment. If the number of these (1,493,620) be subtracted the enrollment reduces to 12 per cent of the population. The establishment and local control of these schools is in the hands of (1) school boards (2,331 in number), elected under the school law of 1870; (2) private managers, chiefly denominational. About 40 per cent of the pupils registered are in board schools. Further statistics given in the report relate to schools actually visited by the Government inspectors in the year under review (119 less than the number on the list). These schools enrolled 5,006,979 pupils, a little more than 99 per cent of the entire enrollment. Their average attendance was 3,870,774 (boys, 2,029,240; girls, 1,841,534), or 77.3 per cent of the enrollment. The teaching force employed comprised 99,291 persons, of whom 49-12 per cent had Government certificates; 23-72 per cent were assistant teachers, not certificated, and 27-16 pupil teachers. The proportion of women teachers, which has been steadily rising since 1870, was as follows' in each class: Certificated, 60 per cent (48 in 1869); assistant, 79 per cent (60 in 1869); pupil teachers, 78 per cent (57 in 1870). In addition to the pupils in day schools, night schools had an average attendance of 65,561. The total expenditure (day and night schools) was $39,919,145, derived as follows: From Government grant, 43:72 per cent; local taxes (rates), 20-75 per cent; school fees, 15.65 per cent; voluntary subscriptions, chiefly in denominational schools, 19.88 per cent. Of the entire expenditure 76-46 per cent was for salaries, 6-18 per cent for books and apparatus, 17:36 per cent miscellaneous. The rate of expenditure per capita of average attendance was $10.22, all schools included; in board schools only, $11.75. The total expenditure was equivalent to $1.35 per capita of population, and the amount derived from public fuuds (i. e., Government grant and local taxes, $25,769,037) to 873 cents. The year under review is the first year of the operation of the law providing for the remission of school fees (law of 1891), and the report Signed by the president of the committee of council on education, Right Hon. Earl of Kimberley, and by the vice-president, Right Hon. A. H. Dyke Acland. gives some indications of the effect of this provision. As regards expenditure, nothing can be inferred at present, because schools accepted the terms at different times, many just at the close of the year, and the accounts are not yet adjusted. Of the schools inspected 15,170 had remitted fees, the number of free pupils on their registers being 3,429,577, or 68 per cent of their total enrollment. Since the close of the year the number of free schools has increased. At present only 142 schools have refused the fee grant. The report says: It was anticipated that the abolition or diminution of school fees for children between 3 and 15 would raise the number of children on the registers, and more especially that of infants. This has been found to be the case. The number of infants has increased by 114,577 (6.94 per cent) and that of older scholars by 67,719 (2.13 per cent), and had the statistics now under consideration related to a period of twelve months, showing the full effect of the act, the increase shown, both of infants and of older scholars, would doubtless have been somewhat larger. But still more satisfactory than the increase in the number of children on the books is the increase in the average attendance (3.22 per cent), which is, indeed, the special feature of the statistics for 1892. This increase is mainly due to the increased regularity of attendance of the older scholars, for while every 100 infants added to the register increased the average attendance by 51 only, there was an addition of 92 to the average attendance for every 100 older scholars added to the registers during the year. The item of average attendance has peculiar importance because the whole of the grant for infant schools (i. e., for children 3 to 7), and 96 per cent of the grant for schools for older pupils (7 to 14), is estimated on that basis. In order to share in the grant a school must have had at least 400 half-day sessions in the year, and must have afforded instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic, drawing for boys, and needlework for girls. Few schools limit themselves to these branches. In 1891-'92 only 11 per cent of schools for older scholars failed to secure the grant for additional subjects, while 90,070 pupils were presented for examination in one or two specific subjects which correspond to our high-school studies. One-third of this number were in the London school board district. The grant for cookery was earned by 90,794 girls, and that for laundry work by 2,766. As a result of the regulation making drawing compulsory for boys, which took effect September, 1891, the number of schools in which the branch was taught rose from 6,075 in 1890-'91 to 17,048 in 1891-192. Manual instruction was given in 285 schools, science in 513, and physical exercises in 1,703. School libraries have been established in 5,560 schools. The training colleges for teachers under Government inspection and receiving public grants number 44 residential colleges and 14 day colleges, having a total of 3,957 students. The year's expenditure for these colleges, practice schools included, was $970,791, of which 68 per cent was borne by the Government. The official report under consideration deals only with elementary schools, in which category the training colleges are included. Elementary education, however, although the chief, is not the exclusive province of the educational department. It has been brought into relations |