§ Mr. PIRIEasked the Lord Advocate if he will state the number of scholars attending higher grade schools in Scotland who travel daily to the school from their homes distances greater than five miles, ten miles, fifteen miles, and twenty miles, respectively; and whether, if a Return is applied for, he will furnish the proportion of such scholars attending the various higher grade schools in Scotland?
§ Mr. UREIt is not possible to give these figures from the information at present in possession of the Department, nor do I think that a return such as that suggested would give information of a value at all commensurate with the labour to school boards and teachers involved in preparing it. The statistics in possession of the Department, however, show that out of 4,750 bursars attending intermediate and secondary schools who were awarded new bursaries last session (the latest period for which full returns are available) not more than 550, or less than 12 per cent. of the whole, do not reside at home.
§ Mr. PIRIEasked the Lord Advocate if he can state the number of higher grade 711W pupils under the burgh boards of Scotland and in the rural higher grade schools, respectively, who have begun the intermediate course and have remained on to complete the full three years' course of study and have afterwards sat for the intermediate certificate examination, and what percentage of the total starting the course in each category have taken the intermediate certificate; and also, with reference to rural higher grade schools, what is the average cost per pass, based on the total annual charge as far as statistics are available, including, if possible, interest and repayment of loans, teaching, administration and upkeep charges, bursaries, and travelling allowances?
§ Mr. UREThe normal duration of the intermediate course is three years after the stage of the qualifying examination. Thus the pupils present for the intermediate certificate in 1911 were enrolled in the intermediate course in the session 1908–9. The following table shows the average attendance in the first and second year of the intermediate course from 1906–7 onwards, the number of pupils presented for the intermediate certificate in 1909,712W 1910, and 1911, and the numbers who were successful in obtaining the certificate in these years:—
Session. Average Attendance in the Intermediate Course. Number of Pupils Presented for the Intermediate Certificate Number of Certificates Awarded. 1st year. 2nd year. 1906–7 … 8,734 5,719 — — 1907–8 … 9,634 6,018 — — 1908–9 … 10,245 6,948 3,212 2,058 1909–10 … 10,639 7,603 3,488 2,482 1910–11 … 10,373 7,382 3,842 2,998 The figures apply to higher grade schools only, i.e., to all schools in receipt of Grants under Chapter IX. of the Code for Day Schools. The statistics of the Department are not in a form which enables me to give the figures in the two separate categories described in the question. It is not possible to give the average cost per pass as suggested, but if it were the figure would be entirely misleading. By far the greater portion of the cost would have to be incurred in any case were no intermediate curriculum provided.