§ MR. M. HEALY (Cork)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Board of Intermediate Education in Ireland, in prescribing the subjects of study for the new preparatory grade, have omitted Natural Philosophy and Chemistry, though these subjects were always included in the junior grade, and though the preparatory course includes the study of five languages—Latin, Greek, French, German, and Italian; and whether the Board will re-consider this exclusion, in view of the injury which will necessarily follow to schools which devote themselves to a commercial rather than a purely literary course of study? I also beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the increasing tendency of the Board of Intermediate Education in Ireland to give their examinations a purely literary direction to the detriment of students deriving a commercial education; whether, in the new preparatory grade, purely literary subjects (Greek, Latin, English, French, German, and Italian) between them are allowed 5,500 marks out of a possible total of 7,000, while the commercial subjects (Arithmetic, Euclid, Algebra, and Drawing) get only 1,500 marks, and Book-keeping, Natural Philosophy, and Chemistry are entirely excluded, though always hitherto included in the curriculum for boys of the age for whom the preparatory course is intended; whether, in the other grade, the same disproportion is observed between literary and commercial subjects, and the new commercial course only comes into operation for youths in their 17th year, an age at which very few youths intended for commercial pursuits can continue to remain at school in Ireland; and whether the Board will reconsider their new programme, with a view to making it less unfavourable to commercial students?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.The Assistant Commissioners of Intermediate Education report that the matters referred to in these questions 807 are under the re-consideration of the Board.
§ MR. M. HEALYI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland when the Board of Intermediate Education in Ireland will be prepared to supply the statistics asked for in previous questions?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe Assistant Commissioners of Intermediate Education report that additional rules which the Board have made and submitted to the Lord Lieutenant will probably render the furnishing of the statistics for which the hon. Member has asked unnecessary. But if, when the additional rules have been promulgated, the statistics are still required they can be furnished in July upon the completion of the work in connection with the approaching examinations.