§ Mr. GUINEYasked the Chief Secretary whether any arrangements have been made by the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland with the heads of the denominational training colleges for the admission to training of teachers employed at present under the Board to the course commencing September, 1911; and, having regard to the number of trained teachers who are unable to obtain positions-whether he will recommend to the National Board the advisability of refusing further admissions to externs until the assistant teachers now in the service have had an opportunity of receiving a course of training?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Commissioners of National Education reserve to themselves the power to require a certain number of places in a training college to be set apart for untrained teachers employed in national schools, and they have under consideration at present the question of the extent to which they will exercise that power. With regard to the last paragraph the Commissioners state that the proposal is not practicable. Assistant teachers do not come forward in sufficient numbers to fill the vacacies in the Training Colleges, and if it were possible to adopt the proposal the supply of new trained teachers to fill vacancies in schools would be stopped. The Commissioners are taking measures to ensure that, so far as possible, vacancies in the teaching staffs of the schools shall be filled by trained teachers.
§ Mr. GUINEYasked the Chief Secretary how many applicants, having no connection whatever with the Board of National Education, were admitted for training to the several training colleges in September, 1910; how many applications for admission to these colleges were received from teachers actually in the service; how 1875W many of these were favourably received; how many extern candidates examined in July, 1910, at the several training colleges failed to qualify at the King's scholarship examination; how many trained teachers are at present unemployed; and how many untrained teachers are at present employed by the National Board?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe number of candidates having no connection with the Board of National Education who were admitted for training to the several training colleges in 1910 was 405. The number of teachers who, according to returns received from the college authorities, were applicants for admission to these colleges, was 305. Of these 81 were favourably received. The number of King's scholars, who on admission to training had no previous connection with the Commissioners, and who failed at the final college examination in July, 1910, was 17. The Commissioners are not in a position to give the number of recently trained teachers who are at present unemployed. The number of untrained teachers in the service of the Commissioners on 31st December, 1909, was 4,345. The figures for 1910 are not yet available.