Incomes of salaries were fixed in 1900, the average salary would have been the teachers. about £138 instead of £126. Yet the principal now who has

an income of £126 has a prospect of one day attaining to £190 per annum, free from the condition of passing difficult examinations and free to devote himself entirely to the maintenance of efficiency in his school-the only condition necessary for obtaining an increase of salary.

It will be observed that in the case of teachers' incomes in Great Britain, though the initial salary is higher and the increments accrue annually, yet the increments are fewer and the maximum possible salary very much lower than in similar schools in this part of the United Kingdom.

Some attempt has already been made by means of the introduction of grades and by limiting promotion in the grades to teachers of schools of a given average attendance, to establish a fixed relationship between the size and importance of the school and the salary of its principal, as is the general practice in other countries. More than three-fifths of all the schools in Ireland have an average attendance under fifty pupils. Most of these schools have only one teacher. Owing to the number of classes and subjects, it requires a teacher of exceptional energy and skill to maintain in such a school a creditable standard of efficiency. In the North of Ireland most of these small schools owe their origin to the claims of the various Protestant denominations to have provided at the cost of the State, schools for each denomination, while in the South, the provision of separate departments for boys and girls is the chief cause of the existence of so many small schools. If the managers of the Protestant schools would co-operate with one another in amalgamating, in suitable cases, their schools, and the managers of the South would amalgamate their small separate departments, schools would be formed with staffs of two teachers at least in each, and by the division and combination of labour then possible there would be a considerable improvement in the efficiency of the combined schools, and the work of the teachers would be much less laborious. Further, the maintenance of these small schools requires an expenditure in salaries out of all proportion to the total amount of our Vote, and looking to their general average of efficiency does not, in our opinion, justify in many cases the continuation of the grants as given at present.

In regard to schools with an average attendance of seventy or over we do not consider that an initial salary of £56 per annum to the principal is sufficient.

Under the old system of payments, teachers on their first appointment to large and important schools received incomes proportionate to the size of the schools, but under the new system teachers on appointment to large schools received no

such advantages. Furthermore, under the old system of classi- Incomes of fication and payment, teachers who had distinguished them- the teachers. selves during the course of training as King's scholars and who had obtained high classification, were able to secure on first. appointment much higher incomes than the present initial salaries.

We have arrived at the conclusion that the decrease in recent years in the number of male candidates for entrance to the training colleges is largely attributable to the uncertainty regarding the prospects of young teachers as compared with those enjoyed by teachers who were in our service before 1900.

At our meeting on the 19th July, 1904, we had this subject before us, and after full consideration we unanimously adopted resolutions to the following effect :-

(a.) A trained principal teacher of a school with an average daily attendance of 70 to 94 pupils may receive an income (exclusive of residual capitation grant) not less than £77 per annum (men), or £65 per annum (women), provided that he or she holds a certificate of at least second class. (See f.)

(b.) A trained principal teacher of a school with an average daily attendance of 95 to 139 pupils may receive an income (exclusive of residual capitation grant) not less than £87 per annum (men), or £73 per annum (women), provided that he or she holds a certificate of at least the second class. (See f.)

(c.) A trained principal teacher of a school with an average daily attendance of 140 to 184 pupils may receive an income (exclusive of residual capitation grant) not less than £117 per annum (men), or £97 per annum (women), provided that he or she holds a certificate of the first class. (See g.)

(d.) A trained principal teacher of a school with an average daily attendance of 185 to 229 pupils may receive an income (exclusive of residual capitation grant) not less than £139 per annum (men), or £114 per annum (women) provided that he or she holds a certificate of the first class. (See g.)

(e.) A trained principal teacher of a school with an average daily attendance of 230 pupils and above may receive an income (exclusive of residual capitation grant) not less than £139 per annum (men), or £114 per annum (women), provided that he or she holds a certificate of the first class. If the principal is a university graduate he or she may receive in addition a supplemental salary not exceeding £80, to be reached by annual increments of £5, until he or she receives a total income of £255 per annum (men), or £221 per annum (women) (exclusive of residual capitation grant), so long as the school in which the service is given is reported as "excellent.”

Incomes of the teachers.

Increased

staff in small schools.

(f.) A certificate of the second class may be awarded to a trained teacher who has given three consecutive years of highly efficient service.

(g.) A certificate of the first class may be awarded to a trained teacher who has given six consecutive years. of highly efficient service.

(h.) Service rendered as an assistant may qualify a teacher for a certificate of the first or second class; but such teacher shall not receive any of the benefits of these rules until he or she has given highly efficient service. as principal for at least one year.

Such a scheme, if sanctioned, will ensure a more rapid promotion for an efficient teacher and make the salaries of the principals more closely correspond with the responsibility of the duties they have to discharge.

We were in a great measure led to take this matter into consideration because of the widespread expression of uncertainty and dissatisfaction with what appeared to be the absence of a regulation to enable teachers of merit to advance within a reasonable time to the higher grades. Thus, it has often been asserted that the highest salary of the scale could not be attained without satisfactory service of thirty-six years. This impression, although largely based upon a misconception of our powers, has operated prejudicially upon the supply of candidates for the Training colleges.

Next to the improvement in the salaries of teachers in large and important schools we consider the provision of an increased staff in small schools most vital to the well-being of the system. In our last report we stated that we were of opinion that the employment of a second teacher-possibly a manual instructress-should be sanctioned in all schools with averages of from 35 to 49.

The backward state of primary education in Ireland is largely due to the immense proportion of one-teacher schools. Some of the causes of this state of things are unavoidable; for instance, the sparseness of the population in country districts. Other causes are the objection on the part of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church to boys and girls being taught together, and the disinclination of the various denominations to use each other's schools, which has extended so far that almost every congregation, no matter how small, claims a school for its own use. The single-teacher schools are relatively inefficient, and means must be adopted to diminish the number. We have seriously set ourselves to deal with the problem by rule 186 quoted above, and other provisions for the amalgamation of small schools, but there is especial difficulty in securing the amalgamation of schools whose average attendance is between 35 and 50. And yet these schools, if in

small

charge of a single teacher, are necessarily more inefficient than Staff in smaller schools. The need of an increased staff impressed Mr. schools. Dale, who recommended that for an average attendance above 39 there should be a second teacher. We, as stated above, wish to go even farther. In the case of rural schools-and the small schools are mostly rural-the attendance of pupils is lamentably irregular, and an average attendance of 35 may mean a maximum attendance of 50 or 55 for some months of the year. It is clear that a single teacher, no matter how capable, is powerless to instruct such a number distributed in all standards from infants' to the highest. We consider the provision of a manual instructress for such schools in the highest sense vital to the efficiency of the system, and we expect that if this reform is granted it will be possible to obtain the agreement of the managers and others concerned, to amalgamation in the case of schools whose average attendance is below 35. It would thus be possible to convert a very large number of single-teacher schools into two-teacher schools in a way that will vastly increase their efficiency.

We have again to bring under the notice of Your Excellency Higher the delay that has occurred in considering and sanctioning our grade proposals for giving aid to Higher Grade Schools.

In our report for 1903 we intimated to Your Excellency that we had under consideration for some time the question of establishing advanced departments in National schools and Higher Grade National schools. We stated that at the present time no educational facilities were afforded to those pupils who, on completing the course of instruction in a National school might desire to prepare themselves for commercial and technical pursuits, and that, following the example of the English and Scotch Boards of Education, we had decided to establish, subject to the approval of Your Excellency and the Lords of His Majesty's Treasury, schools or departments where boys and girls who had passed the sixth standard in a National school might obtain a good scientific, commercial, or literary education.

We stated that we did not anticipate for some time to come that many pupils would be enrolled in these higher departments, and that we were prepared to recognize such department or school only where the educational requirements of the locality render it highly desirable. We pointed out that we had recently provided for a seventh standard, and even for an eighth standard, in the larger National schools, and that this would in future lessen the demand for a higher education than that given in a National school.

It was not possible then for us to give an accurate estimate of the expenditure in connection with these higher grade departments, as we had no means of deciding as to the number of pupils who would avail themselves of the opportunities of a higher education that would be thus afforded. In England, according to the returns then furnished, there were twenty

schools.

Higher grade schools.

Other pressing 1equire

ments.

Out-offices.

Equipment

nine such schools with an average attendance of 6,884. In Scotland there were thirty-five Higher Grade Schools with an average attendance of 3,821. We considered that it would not be necessary to provide for more than 1,000 pupils in higher grade departments during the first year of their establishment. The Government, however, decided that these proposals must stand over until further consideration could be given to the entire question of primary and intermediate education.

We desire here to express our regret at this decision. The consideration of the entire question of educational expenditure from public grants in Ireland is a matter that, even if undertaken immediately, will necessarily occupy a very considerable time, and, if a re-arrangement of these grants be effected, will possibly involve legislation. We feel, therefore, that the postponement of the establishment of departments and schools of the class which we had recommended until after the settlement of the larger question just referred to, may involve indefinite delay with much injury to the education of the present generation. We are convinced of the pressing necessity for the introduction of advanced departments and Higher Grade schools into Ireland in connection with the primary system of education, and while reluctant again to trouble the Government with the subject, we feel that we should not be doing our duty to the great educational trust reposed in us if we did not press for an immediate settlement of the question.

We desire to bring again before Your Excellency some other pressing requirements of National education. Some years ago, in connection with the allocation of the funds to be provided by the Development Grant Bill, then before Parliament, we pointed out that one of the great defects in regard to National education in Ireland was the unsatisfactory condition of many of the school-houses in reference to (a) the structures themselves, (b) their equipment, (c) their sanitary condition, and (d) their attractiveness to the pupil in the matter of internal comfort.

Practically 1,000 schools in Ireland stand in need of having out-offices provided. Provision should also be made for the periodical cleansing of these offices, the cleaning of the windows and the scrubbing of the floors.

We consider that all National schools should be provided and heat- with suitable seats, desks, maps and charts, and with fires in the winter months.

ing.

Prizes and scholar

ships.

School prizes and scholarships are urgently required if the co-ordination of primary and secondary education is to become a reality. At present, the Intermediate Board are precluded by their Act from making grants to National schools, and we have no funds to encourage promising pupils of primary schools to continue their education in secondary schools.