The Commissioners desire it to be distinctly understood that they do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed in these Reports, nor do they feel called upon to adopt any suggestions they may contain. General Report upon the South Dublin Group of Districts for Reports on the year ended 30th September, 1898, by Mr. A. PURSER, Head Inspector. Dublin, October, 1898. the State of National Education. Mr. A. Dublin. GENTLEMEN,-In accordance with your directions I submit the following brief report on my circuit, which comprises a considerable part of Leinster and small portions of the other three provinces. The circuit. The only change in the Inspection Staff of the Circuit which has occurred during the past year is the substitution of Mr Cromie in Parsonstown for Mr. Allman, who, owing to continued ill-health, had to retire, and in whom the Commissioners have lost a faithful and efficient servant. Throughout the entire circuit the work of inspection has been carried on with much zeal and earnestness, yet in a Inspection manner so reasonable and considerate as to give neither managers nor teachers any just cause of complaint. Star. statement. In these general reports furnished every year there can seldom be nything new to bring under notice. Changes are but slight from General year to year, and if one could feel convinced that these slight changes are always for the better, and that on the whole there was a forward movement and general progress, nothing could be more satisfactory, for one could be certain that a solid foundation had been laid and that a noble superstructure was being raised upon it, which though it might take many years to complete would ever be a source of pleasure and admiration in its evolution. personnel of Objection has been made to the Inspectors' reports that they dwell entirely, or mainly, on the dark side of our educational question. There is some truth in the objection, but the Inspector's unfavourable comments are the natural outcome of the impressions made by his yearly round of visits to the schools. If in our ordinary daily walk we meet nine persons honestly discharging all their private and social duties, and one person who is neglecting all his duties, we do not think it necessary to sing praises over the nine righteous ones—we lift up our hands, on the contrary, in real or pretended horror at the one offender; how much more if the one is Improvemultiplied manifold. Looking back over nearly 30 years of service under the Board the change that strikes me most is the great im- ment in the provement in the personnel of the teaching staff. I cannot express the teaching my meaning better than by saying that the modern teachers are far staff. more ladies and gentlemen than were their predecessors; and by this I do not mean that they come from a higher social class, though that too is probably the case, and is due largely to the improvement in their material position; but in all the civilities and courtesies and refinements of life they occupy a higher level, and in intellectual But if these are not used and literary culture a still higher level. to influence their pupils for good, what do they avail? If zeal and Zeal and earnestness are not displayed in the performance of their duties earnestness wanting. (and in this respect our progress, if any, has been but slow) the other good and useful qualities of the teachers are of little value. Now, the majority of the teachers are sadly deficient in zeal and E the State of National Mr. A. Wellconducted schools. Moral tone of pupils should be raised. say Reports on earnestness, and have a very low standard of what constitutes the proper performance of their duties. This may seem a very sweeping Education. assertion, but it is based on the want of interest in their profession shown by the absence of any preparation for the daily work on the part of the majority-shall I be naming too low a figure when I three-fourths "of the teachers of Ireland. In excuse it has been urged that the work is so severe that teachers have no energy left after school hours to make preparation for the next day's worka remarkable assertion in Leinster, where the teacher's average weekly time amounts to between 22 and 25 hours, with two complete holidays every week. If this is too severe there must be a great want of physical or mental fitness. The excuse, too, lands us in a vicious circle-the work is too severe because the teacher has not made proper preparation for it; and he fails to make proper preparation because the work is too severe. It is, however, a much pleasanter task turning from these to let the mind dwell on the cases, though comparatively few, in which the reverse is found, to think only of schools in which the teacher's influence is all for good, in which cleanliness, decency, and order are observable in every department, where there is the agreeable hum of business carried on under exact discipline, and where teachers and pupils are on the best of terms; or still better where the teacher is not only a person the pupils look up to but one whom pupils and parents consult in their difficulties. All this is independent of system, or scales of salaries, and though few may attain to it in its entirety, all may aim at it, and so gain the best of all rewards-a happy and contented conscience. The teacher who wishes to be most useful will give his chief and most earnest attention to raising the moral tone of his pupils; their intellectual advancement will be but secondary; while the lessons (in the ordinary sense of the word) will be mainly utilised to develop such moral and intellectual progress. This necessarily implies absence of cram, absence of either over or under-pressure, and due regard for the pupil's health in all that concerns school management, including among other things cleanliness of house and premises, proper ventilation, due warmth in wet and cold weather, and other suitable school arrangements. Writing this on one of the wettest days of the year I feel it is a mercy that compulsory school attendance is still merely nominal. I shudder to think of the thousands and tens of thousands of children who would otherwise be compelled to trudge imperfectly clad to school to find themselves in a cold, bare apartment without a fire, or with a fire only just kindled and as yet giving out practically not a particle of heat; the children's scanty muffling thrown all in a heap into a corner where the wet soaks from article to article until the whole becomes a mass of reeking moisture. I feel the more emboldened to refer strongly to these matters relating to house, furniture, etc., as Mr. Stanley's original letter of October, 1831 (67 years ago) to the Duke of Leinster, on the first appointment of the National Board of Education, now appears as introductory to the Commissioners' Rules. It contains the following paragraph:-“They (the Commissioners) will refuse all applications in which the following objects are not locally provided for: -(1) A fund sufficient for the Unsuitable annual repairs of the schoolroom and furniture." This was an admirable provision, and one that should be still enforced to this extent, that grants should be suspended, reduced, or in extreme cases altogether withdrawn, from schools held in unsuitable houses, Cheerless schoolrooms. schoolhouses. unsuitably furnished, imperfectly warmed, or otherwise unhealthy. Report on Of course grants to a new school should be always refused where the State of satisfactory provision is not made for the above objects. National Head The proficiency in ordinary subjects of the school programme has Mr. A. undergone practically no change. The pass-marks in Reading show Purser, a considerable falling off, both in number and quality, but this is Inspector. due almost entirely to the new requirement of the programme making Dublin. explanation of the lessons essential for a pass in Reading. This Ordinary Of optional and extra subjects those referred to in previous school reports continue to be taught to the same extent and with about programme the same results as then stated, except Drawing and Practical subjects. Cookery. The former of these (Drawing) has certainly been more Optional extensively taught since the matter began to attract public attention and extra subjects. in connection with the Committee on Manual Instruction, but this has been done too recently to pronounce yet on the practical result. Cookery was, until very recently, taught like any other extra-Cookery. for at least two days a week during the whole results year. seems to me a very good arrangement; it allowed of slow, careful, and thorough teaching, and of sufficient repetition to make the effects of that teaching permanent. Latterly classes have been allowed under a certain set of recognised teachers who are in no respect superior or better qualified than many of those who in Dublin and other large towns were before giving instruction. Each of these classes meets for two hours only twenty times, and an attempt has been made to have two meetings on one day, so that the whole course could be gone over in ten days. These classes have then to be examined immediately after the course is completed, presumably lest the children should (as they probably would) forthwith begin to forget the knowledge that has just been crammed into their little heads. The system appears educationally indefensible, and is in most cases productive of no practical benefit, as might be expected from the tender age of the children, of whom a large part are enrolled no higher than in fourth or junior fifth class. School I cannot close this report without referring to the careless and even dishonest manner in which the school accounts continue to accounts. be kept in many cases. Errors that cannot be explained, except on the supposition of wilful fraud, are still very frequent, and will, I fear, be a constant source. of trouble until the Commissioners make honesty a sine quâ non condition for employment in their service, and until the temptation to falsification is removed by the introduction of a simpler and therefore more rational system of payment of the teachers. The Model Schools in my circuit, Newry and West Dublin (three Model departments each), Parsonstown and Enniscorthy (two departments Schools. each) continue to be efficiently conducted. The attendance in Newry has increased so considerably that an application has been made to increase the accommodation. In conclusion, I have much pleasure in bearing testimony to the Managers. friendly relations existing between the managers and inspectors, including myself. I am, Gentlemen, The Secretaries, Your obedient servant, A. PURSER. Office of National Education, |