§ MR. BIGGARasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he has any objection to explain why, in their recent reports, the Com- 6 missioners of National Education have not stated the average yearly attendance at each department of the Model Schools; whether more detailed information on this point will be given in the report for 1880; and, whether he can state how many Model School departments had an average attendance of thirty, or under, during the years 1878, 1879, and 1880, and how many of these departments had the benefit of assistant teachers?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERSir, the reason why the Commissioners of National Education have not given the statistics referred to is on account of the expense of publishing such minute details. They have, however, decided to give them triennially, and the Report for 1880 will contain them. The hon. Member will find in that Report that in the year 1878 there were eight school departments, with an average attendance of 30 or under, four of which had assistant teachers; that in 1879 there were eight departments, three of which had assistant teachers, and that in 1880 there were seven departments, three of which had assistant teachers. These assistant teachers will be transferred to other schools as vacancies occur, and we hope they will disappear altogether from the smaller schools.