Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-14
Very Much is Needed to Make
it a Success.
THE REPORT OF THE BOARD
That Was Appointed to Formulate a
Scheme For Public Schools
in That District,

Santiago de Cuba, March 5.-(Corre-
spondence of the Associated Press.)-The
report of a board appointed by Brig. Gen.
Wood to formulate a scheme for public
education in the province of Santiago has
been made public. The problem of edu-
eating the b and Spanish children
has been handled at length and in a mas
terly way. The report is prefaced by a
detailed description Of the existing edu-
c%ational system and brings out the point
that under Spanish rule Cuba was afford
ed the advantage of a system that COM
pared we'll with any of those now in use
by English speaking races. However,,
this system of education, lin the main
worthy of admiration and imitation" to
use the words of the board, and it's prac-
teal results, controlled as it was in all
essentials by officials who were wholly
aliens in the country and quite free from
all responsibility to the people,, whose in
very thing to be desired. Doubtless many
departures from the rules and methods
prescribed resulting in neglect, Irregular
tiles and general confusion were due to
he prolonged disturbances in the island.
Col L SSiS GIN
rapacity of the governing authorities left
the admirable provisions of the law with
out enforcement or application, the re-
sources of the country We're diverted to
other ends and the result was a mere
shadow of an educational establishment.
totally inadequate in extent and highly
inefficient in operation, so far at least as
the primary and secondary schools were
concerned. No such things as a free pub
lie school in the American meaning exists
or has existed in Cuba. Sc far as is known
there is not a single building nor a foot
of land in this province owned by the
people for school purposes and not a
single dollar of endowment for any edu-
cational institution. On these conclusions
the board saws:
The immediate need, therefore,, of the
people of Cuba and especially of this
province is a system of primary and
secondary education as these terms are
understood in Cuba, or of primary, gram
mar and high schools, as schools are
graded in the United States, supported
entirely from the public funds and abso-
lutely free to all children of school age;
adequate in number and so distributed
SIS to meet the needs of the entire popula-
ton, administered with a view to the
highest efficiency and the greatest econ
omy and the following courses adapted
to the changed conditions resulting from
the extraction of Spanish sovereignty in
the island:
ITO bring this about the board recon-
mends that, first of all, census be taken
Of all the children in the province OF
school age; the schools must temporarily
be supported by the general funds in the
province of the treasury, but the board
recommends that eventually they be sup
ported by Il special tax levied in each
district. The schools are to be divided
into kindergartens, elementary, NUM-
cipal and superior primary schools. High
schools, says the board, should not be es-
tablished until the primary schools are
in good working order.
"A single university declares the
board, should suffice for the entire
island and the duty of providing and
maintaining such an institution as we'll
us normal schools, special schools for the
deaf muteS ando Their schools of correc-
tional institutions should be left to the
general government of Cuba"
Local councils with one provisional
council is uggested as the plan of govern
nlent, the member of such councils to
receive no salaries. Religious instruction
OF any nature is held by the board to be
iladmissible. Tor this decision it gives
as a reason that the recent changes in
the political status Of the island nave
effected a practical disestablishment of
what had previously been a state
church." In all schools English must be
taught.