§ MR. MURPHY (Kerry, E.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if his attention has been called to the fact that, according to the last edition of the rules and regulations of the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, two teachers can now be appointed in a school with an average attendance of thirty-five pupils, while an average of ninety-five is required before a third teacher can be appointed, meaning an additional sixty pupils for one additional teacher; and as two teachers cannot effectively teach such a large number as ninety or ninety-four pupils when these are divided into several standards, and as an average attendance of ninety-five usually means an ordinary attendance of considerably over 100, will the reduction of this average be favourably considered in the near future.
(Answered by Mr. Bryce.) The Commissioners of National Education inform me that under the present rules a junior assistant mistress may be appointed, in addition to the principal teacher, in a national school at which there is an average attendance of thirty-five pupils. A fully certificated assistant may be appointed in a school at which the average attendance is at least fifty, and a second fully certificated assistant in a school at which the average attendance is ninety-five. The Commissioners would be glad if it were possible to reduce the standard of average attendance required to warrant the recognition of a second fully certificated assistant teacher, but to do so to any appreciable extent would cause a very large additional charge on the Vote, and all the money at the Commissioners' disposal at present is ear-marked for more pressing needs.
§ MR. MURPHYTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if the Commissioners of Education in Ireland can state what is the average number of pupils to each adult teacher (who teaches during the entire school day) in England and in Ireland respectively, according to number on rolls and according to average daily attendance.
1447 (Answered by Mr. Bryce.) I am informed by the Commissioners of National Education that, according to the Report for the year 1904–5 of the Board of Education for England, the number of pupils on the school registers was 6,047,770 and the number of pupils in average daily attendance 5,142,774. The number of adult teachers was 133,731. This gives 45.2 pupils on registers, and 38.4 in average daily attendance, for each adult teacher. According to the last Report of the Commissioners of National Education, there was during the year 1905 an average of 641,664 pupils on the rolls in schools where the teachers were paid personal salaries and an average daily attendance of 427,808. The number of adult teachers employed in these schools was 13,249. This gives 48.4 pupils on rolls, and 32.3 in average daily attendance, for each adult teacher.