The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-07 00:00:00

EDUCATION IN IRELAND.

The following is the tenth report of the Commis-
sioners of National Education in Ireland, for 1843 :

I. We stated in our last report that, unless the
annual grant were raised, we could not undertake to
contribute to the building, or even to the support, of
additional schools, although many were wanted and
applied for; nor could we take those steps which we
deemed essential for giving due efficacy to our system
of local superintendence. We added, that the num-
ber of schools under us had about doubled since the
present number of local superintendence was fixed ;
that unless it were augmented, the duty of inspec-
tion could not be adequately performed, and that we
must consider this a very serious evil.
As the grant has not since been augmented, we
have been unable to meet the increasing desire of the
public to establish schools in connexion with us ; and
many applications which have been made to us for
aid now stand over.
We have also reason to believe that the number of
applications made to us falls short of what it would
have been, had not the country been aware of the
exhausted state of the funds • that many who have
schools conducted upon principles different from those
of the national system would prefer it, and embrace
it, if they did not fear that by doing so they might
lose some of the contributions which they now re-
ceive from individuals, without being compensated by
assistance from us; and that the people of those dis-
tricts from which aid is withheld feel deeply aggrieved
at finding that they are excluded from the benefits of
a boon which is professedly intended for the whole of
Ireland, but from the advantages of which they are
practically excluded.
It has also been matter of regret and disappoint-
ment to us that we have not had it in our power to
provide for that strict and frequent inspection of the
schools which we have already adverted to as so es-
sential to their efficiency.
We have, therefore, learned with the greatest
satisfaction that her Majesty's Ministers intend pro-
posing such an addition to the funds confided to us as
may enable us to increase the number of our schools,
and of our superintendents.
To leave the great unaugmented would in effect be,
not to leave matters to go on as heretofore, but sud-
denly to stop the spread of a great good at a certain
point, and thus to make it the means of producing
discontent instead of satisfaction through the nation.
We say a great good, because the tendency of the
system is to produce peace, and that knowledge of
men's true interests, the want of which is so likely to
lead to disaffection and crime.
We have shown this in former reports, particularly
in our last, and we have the gratification of observ-
ing, that those unfounded impressions upon the sub-
ject, which we have on former occasions had to
notice, are at length rapidly dying away.
11. We have now to state our progress during the
last year. .
At the close of 1842 we had 2,721 schools in ope-
ration, which were attended by 319,792 children. At
the close of 1843, we had 2,912 schools, which were
attended by 355,320 children. The increase in the
number of schools in operation, therefore, amounted
within the year to 191 ; and the increase in the at-
tendance of children to 35,528.
Your Excellency will thus perceive, by compari-
son of the foregoing numbers, that the increase in the
number of children educated is more than propor-
tionate to the increase in the number of schools, by
above 13,000.
To most of the new schools we have been able to
afford aid only
undertaken to by grants of books ; but we have
giveauthgernmenthzoafssoisurtafnocne,dsshtooudldo wsoe
.
be enabled by an
HI. We trained during the last year 195 teachers,
of whom 134 were males, and 61 were females.
Al-
though we give a training of about twenty weeks
only to the :teachers we bring up from the country
(to which time we limit it, that we may the more
rapidly extend its advantages to the whole), yet we
find, short as it is, that it effects a very great im-
provement in those who receive it; and the reArts
subsequently received of them are, in general, highly
satisfactory. We propose, should our means be ade-
quate to the purpose, to have in future a certain
number of paid monitors in some of our best schools,
and that they should be educated for the office of
teaching. We intend that they should be selected by

the local superintendent, and when of a suitable age,
that they should be received at our training esta-
blishment, from which they might be sent to under-
take schools as opportunities offer. We hope in this
way, without any considerable increase of expense, to
provide gradually a supply of teachers of a superior
description, and thus to add most materially to the
benefits which the national schools are already con-
ferring upon the country.
IV. The receipts from the sale of our school books
continue to increase, although we have been enabled,
by a reduction in the cost of printing and binding, to
make large corresponding reduction in their price.
It appears, from returns bad from the patrons of the
national schools, pursuant to an order made by the
House of Commons the last session, the Scriptures
were read in 944 of the national schools, and that the
Scripture extracts which we have published were
read in 1,307. We have to add that the school books
which we have published were read in all, and of these
we beg leave to repeat what we said in our last report :
—" The books we have published for the use of the
national schools, and which, though not forced, are
adopted universally in them, contain several lessons
upon the subject of religion. They give an epitome
of sacred history; they dwell on the original sin of
our first parents, and on the promise then made that in
time one would come by whom sin should be over-
come ; they show how that promise was renewed, par-
ticularly in the covenant with Abraham ; and they
point out the fulfilment of it in the coming and sut-
fering of our Lord ; they dwell also on the giving of
the law to Moses; they state that it is commonly di-
vided into three parts, the moral, the civil, and the
ceremonial, and that the moral is of perpetual obliga-
tion, because the duties which the creatures of God
owe to him and to one another can never have an end.'
The duty of Christian charity is set forth as enjoined
by the precepts and example of our Lord himself; and
a lesson which is thus inculcated is hung up in every
national school."
RICHARD DUBLIN. POOLEY SHOULDHAM
tD. MURRAY. HENRY, D.D.
FRANC. SADLIER. ALEX. MACDONNELL.
A. R. BLAKE. JOHN Rican. COR DALLIS.
ROBERT HOLMES. KILDARE.
RICHD. W. GREENE.
Dublin, March 21, 1844.