§ MR. SALTasked the Vice President of the Council, Whether any represen- 482 tations have been made to him as to the inconvenience that will arise in certain of the elementary schools in arranging the daily school-work, if the teaching hours of the pupil teachers are reduced from thirty hours to twenty-five hours per week, as proposed in Schedule VI. of the new Code; and, whether he will consider the possibility of some modification of this general restriction, under the authority of the inspector or otherwise?
§ MR. MUNDELLA, in reply, said, that representations had been made to him as to the inconvenience that would arise in certain elementary schools if the teaching hours of the pupil teachers were reduced from 30 to 25 per week, as proposed in Schedule VI. of the new Code; but he thought they were made under a misapprehension. Existing contracts were not at all affected by the change. It was only the contracts of the pupil teachers in the future that would be affected; and they should be very both indeed to increase the hours, for they believed pupil teachers had been greatly over-worked, and that there had been a great deal of suffering in consequence. If inconvenience were found to result from the regulation, it could be modified; but he would wait for experience of its working before taking any step in that direction.