DR. CAMERONasked the Vice-President of the Council, "Whether the Scotch Education Department has yet arranged with the Treasury for the carrying out the provisions of section twenty of "The Education (Scotland) Act, 1878," for the examination of higher class schools under the management of school boards; and, if not, whether there is still hope of the matter being arranged in time to relieve the school boards concerned from the necessity of appointing their own examiners under the Education (Scotland) Act of 1872?
§ LORD GEORGE HAMILTONNo change has been made in the decision of the Treasury to refuse to allow the cost of the examination of higher class schools under the management of school boards to be defrayed from public funds since a Question was asked on the subject by the right hon. Gentleman the Member for the University of Edinburgh (Mr. Lyon Playfair). Considerable difficulty has been found in completing the arrangements for these examinations on the terms which were accepted by some of the school boards in small towns; but we hope that, in the case of these boards, this difficulty may be overcome in time 1014 to admit of the examinations being undertaken, before the close of the winter session, by Examiners appointed by the Department.