§ MR. SHEEHANI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the Commissioners of National Education have recently formulated a new rule to the effect that no pupil of fourteen years or upwards attending a day school is to be paid for when lie attends a night school: and, if so, whether, in view of the former rule of the Board of Education ordaining that no pupils under fourteen years of age attending a day school could be calculated in attendance at an evening school, he will state if the new rule is retrospective in its action; and will he take steps to secure that it shall not inflict loss on the past session's work to teachers of evening schools in Ireland.
§ MR. WYNDHAMThe new rule was published in August last and is operative from the commencement of the past session. Its effect is not quite accurately stated. Children between the ages 898 of fourteen and eighteen, who are unable to attend day schools, are eligible as pupils of an evening school and may be taken into account in the calculation of average attendance. No payment, however, is made in respect of a pupil of an evening school who is also paid for as a pupil of a day national school.