§ MR. JESSE COLLINGS (Birmingham, Bordesley)I beg to ask the 1561 Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state the number of schools in Ireland supported by public funds which have either school farms or school gardens attached to them; the number of scholars in these schools who have been examined during the past year in practical agriculture; and the number of scholars who have successfully passed such examination?
MR. J. MORLEYThe number of national schools in Ireland that have school farms connected with them is 45, and the number of such schools that have school gardens is 28. The number of pupils examined in practical agriculture during the past year was 666, of whom 605 successfully passed in the agricultural programme; and the number of pupils examined in practical work of garden management was 546, of whom 415 passed. It may be mentioned that there are also two agricultural institutions under the Commissioners of National Education not included in the figures just quoted—namely, the Albert Institution, Dublin, and the Minister Agricultural and Dairy School, Cork. The numbers that attended the Albert Institution in 1892 were:—Agricultural boarders, 35; dairy pupils, 46; national teachers, nine; and Queen's scholars, 130. The numbers attending the Minister Institution in 1892 were:—Agricultural boarders 14 and dairy pupils 65. There has not been sufficient time to ascertain the number of workhouses to which school farms are attached, but I am informed that in nearly every case where the boys are old enough they are taught practical agriculture in the grounds attached to the workhouse. In addition there are farms and gardens attached to some reformatory and industrial schools, but no examinations in practical agriculture are held in connection with these. I may add that instruction in the theory of agriculture is compulsory in all rural national schools for boys in the fourth, fifth, and sixth classes, and is optional in the case of girls of the same classes. There were 79,260 pupils examined in the agricultural class books at the results examinations, of whom 48,083 passed.