HC Deb 15 June 1893 vol 13 cc1062-3
MR. W. JOHNSTON (Belfast, S.)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland will he explain why, if the Commissioners are in favour, as desired by teachers, of making the programme of the Preparatory Grade consist of portions of the programme of the Junior Grade, they have departed from this policy with regard to all the periods of history prescribed, and with regard to all the text-books and portions of textbooks (save one), prescribed in Greek, Latin, English, Celtic, and French, for the Preparatory Grade; whether, so far as the Commissioners know, any teacher, or body of teachers, is in favour of such departure; whether (with one exception in English), the Commissioners have prescribed the same text-book for the Preparatory and Junior Grades in any language, save German and Italian, which are studied but by very few students; and whether, with a view to preventing the sub-division of classes by the programme as at present arranged, he will recommend to the Commissioners the inclusion of over-age students in the Preparatory Grade on the terms provided for other grades?

MR. J. MOKLEY

The Assistant Commissioners of Intermediate Education report that no general expression of opinion in favour of making the programme of the Preparatory Grade consist of portions of the programme of the Junior Grade has reached the Board. A large body of teachers have remonstrated against such a policy for the Preparatory Grade. It is the fact that in the programme for 1894, with the exception of German, Italian, and one of the works prescribed in English, the Commissioners have not prescribed the same text-book for the Preparatory and Junior Grades in the case of the languages. Works suitable for Junior Grade are not in every case suitable for Preparatory Grade, and therefore portions of such works could not appropriately be prescribed for Preparatory Grades. The Commissioners considered the question of the inclusion of over-age students in the Preparatory Grade, and came to the conclusion that such a course was not desirable.