§ MR. MUNDELLAasked the Vice President of the Council, Whether Teachers 1361 in Elementary Schools are required rigidly to adhere to the Time Tables approved, by the School Inspectors on their official visits, or whether they may, as circumstances require, extend or curtail the time set apart for any secular subject, and, if necessary, substitute another in its place, providing always that the time allotted to religious instruction be strictly adhered to?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTER, in reply, said, the teachers in all elementary schools were not required rigidly to adhere to the time tables approved by the school Inspectors so far as secular instruction was concerned. The Minutes of Council of the 7th February defined the duties of the Inspectors. According to the Code, at least two hours must be given to secular instruction. If there was reason to believe that the Inspectors or managers were under the impression that the provision in Section 7 of the Education Act either obliged the Inspectors to stipulate, or the managers to abide by the stipulation, to submit a secular time table, care would be taken to remove that false impression. At the same time, it had for many years been found necessary to make a deduction from the grant if there was any serious fault in the discipline or management, and one fault would be the having an unfit time table.