§ MR. W. E. FORSTERrose to call the attention of the House to the alteration made this year in the Education Code, by which young, untrained teachers of Public Elementary Schools were enabled to obtain a certificate without examination. He could not very well have objected to the Code earlier, because it was laid on the Table only 10 days before it came into operation, instead of a month, as required by the Act. When the Act of 1870 was passed, it was foreseen that there would be a great demand for teachers, and arrangements were made that teachers above 35 years of age, of good character, and who had been teaching for 10 years, should be admitted to a third class certificate. Many men and women, who were very good teachers, could hardly at that age be expected to submit to an examination, and a concession was made in favour of admitting such persons to the third class. This concession was looked upon at the time with great doubt. The noble Lord (Viscount Sandon) in 1874 made a further concession. He admitted males at 35 and females at 30 to the third class. He (MR. W. E. Forster) had not objected to that alteration. But a further extension was made by the code of this year, by which teachers of 25 years of age, who had worked for five years, were admitted to the third class, and became certificated teachers. His principal objection to the change was that it would strike serious blow at the certificate system. The supply of teachers now was much more satisfactory than it was in 1870, and certainly did not, as had been stated, fall short of the demand. There was one certificated teacher to every 83 children, and a prospect of a still greater supply. The increase of assistant teachers was 96 per cent. The great source of supply of teachers was the pupil-teachers. These had increased 127 per cent. The principle of payment by results was open to the abuse of cramming in the hands of incompetent teachers, and the certificate system was their only security against that abuse. There could be no doubt that, as a general rule, the same results would be attained more satisfactorily by 259 trained and certificated teachers than by teachers obtaining their certificates in this way. He hoped, at all events, care would be taken to guard against the temptation to conduct large schools by two or more of this class of teachers instead of by duly certificated teachers with a proper staff of pupil-teachers. Assuming that the change was designed to meet the necessities of poor schools, he confessed he would rather have met them by a direct grant.
§ VISCOUNT SANDONadmitted the importance of allowing the Code to lie on the Table for a month before it came into operation, and reminded the right hon. Gentleman that this year he had said he would not object to any opposition of which Notice was given within a month of the time that the Code was issued. The position in the Code of these third class teachers was only a temporary one, and would be re-considered in 1879. The Department was here in only following a precedent set by the Marquess of Ripon for the sake of the teachers, but now followed for the sake of the schools and scholars. Whatever might be the figures with regard to the supply of teachers, the Department were practically face to face with the fact that persons often advertised for teachers, and that no teachers were forthcoming; and, as more hamlet schools were coming forward for the Government grant a still greater want of teachers was likely to be felt. He fully admitted that it was undesirable to strike a blow at the certificated teachers, and he had always said that the key to educational progress was our having an adequate supply of thoroughly efficient teachers. The question was whether these teachers were fit for the work or not, and it was to be remembered that they would only teach in very small schools. He had been told by Her Majesty's Inspectors that they knew of better teachers for this purpose than the certificated teachers, and they would come in under this rule. The question of their efficiency would be entirely in the hands of Her Majesty's Inspectors, who would have to certify that the teachers were efficient, and the whole question of what class of teachers should be admitted rested with the Inspectors. It was the decided wish of the Department—and of this the Inspectors were fully aware—that no teachers should be admitted 260 for these third class certificates unless they were thoroughly efficient. No doubt the certificated teachers complained of the rule as an invasion of their privileges, and he had received representations from them to this effect. He could not admit the principle upon which these representations were founded. The certificated teachers had received a very large amount of State aid as pupil-teachers and in Training Colleges, and when they had obtained the certificate the male teachers earned £80 a-year and the women £60 a-year. He could by no means admit that these teachers had anything in the nature of a vested right which entitled them to shut out others from the profession. The Department were bound to look at the matter from the point of view of the schools and the scholars, of course taking care that no injustice was done to the teachers. The new rule was adopted with a view to a distinct emergency, and the Inspectors would take very good care not to admit persons who were not thoroughly up to their work. It was, moreover, intended to confine the new third class certificates to the teachers in schools of less than 60 scholars.