The GLIO Site

EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS 
(Petersfield & locale)

     The Parliamentary return from which we have extracted the following statistics relating to education, and which was issued on the 15th instant, was moved for by Mr. Barnes, the member for Bolton, with a view to show the proportion which exists between the amount advanced by Government and the subscriptions made by private individuals for providing the masses with the means of educating their children. It is the more interesting, as it demonstrates in a remarkable manner how successfully the system of national education has been worked, and how wisely the House of Commons and the Executive have abstained from taking the initiative in the foundation of schools, and have confined ithemselves to a policy which, while not interfering with the rights of conscience, has nevertheless shown that they are not backward in appreciating the great moral results to be obtained by educating the children of the people. Our own scheme of national education, when contrasted with that of other countries, has this one great characteristic, that whereas with them religion is of a secondary consideration, with us it is of primary importance. In fact, the religious element underlies the whole system of the Privy Council education, and only to those educational establishments are its grants extended which can satisfy the inspectors that this end is kept in view. On this peculiarity of our system in a great measure depends the astounding amount of support which schools throughout the land have received from private sources. Over a period of twenty-eight years the sums received from benevolent individuals amounted to nine million pounds, being double the total of the grant made by the Privy Council. And here we would state that the grants made by that body are of three kinds— the capitation grant given for each child who has attended school for 176 days and upwards, and ranging from 3s to 5s for girls and from 4s to 6s for boys, the conditions under which it is made being that 14s per child has been expended on the school. The second grant is made to teachers upon obtaining their certificate of competency at the annual examination, instituted by the Privy Council and conducted by its inspectors, and is given on the condition that the managers of the school shall contribute twice the amount of the grant to the recipient. The third grant is for the advancement of pupil teachers and apprentices who have been received into the school at the age of 13 and have continued there five years. Towards this the managers are not expected to contribute. These three grants are made to the school named in the subjoined statistics, and their equitable adjustment has led to the issue of the revised code, upon which so much has been written and said during this session of Parliament. Before closing this introduction we present our readers with a few statistics, which will enable them to judge of the importance of the educational movement as not being over estimated by those who have made the subject their especial study. The number of schools assisted by the Privy Council, according to the latest returns, is 6897. The number of schools unassisted and therefore not conforming to the conditions under which the grants are made, is 15,952. In the assisted schools there are 915,255 pupils; in the unassisted, 675,155. During the year just terminated 9957 schools were subjected to official inspection. The number of certificated teachers in receipt of grants is 8698 ; of probationary teachers, 491; of assistant teachers, 381; of pupil teachers, 16,277; and the number of Queen’s scholars, 2527— making a total of 38,331 persons, directly or indirectly, under the control of the Privy Council. The money transactions of the same governing body assume equally great proportions. 16,277 pupil teachers receive their grants through Post-office orders and 8698 principal teachers direct. The total cost of educating each child sent to a school within the jurisdiction of the Privy Council is estimated at 30s, met by payment of 7s from the parent, 11s 6d from the contributions of private individuals who have started the school, and 11s 6d from the State. We now subjoin the tabular statement which relates to this district :—