Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-06
PORTO RICO SCHOOLS
Spread of Education Under
American Occupation.
INCREASE IN TEACHERS
Number of Pupils Has More Than
Doubled.
CHILDREN EAGER TO LEARN
Unfounded Reports of a Big Prize
for a Bottle That Cannot Be
Refilled.
HILDREN EAGER TO LEARN
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.


Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald
Mr.. Faulkner, superintendent of educa-
ton in Porto Rico, tells me that the
children in that island are learning Eng
lish rapidly and are very keen in their
desire to acquire that accomplishment.
AT first nothing but Spanish was taught
in the schools. Then the children were
given a little English on the side. Now,
in nearly all the cities and towns instruc-
ton is given in English only and English
text books alone are used by resolution
of the local school authorities. In the high
schools and normal schools the English
language is used exclusively and the COM
ing generation will all be able to talk
English.
'In the towns and Cities continued Mr..
Faulkner, 1.-The English language is taught
by native Porto Ricans who have acquired
a good knowledge of that tongue since the
occupation. In the villages of the in
terror the people are not SO progressive,
and nearly all instruction is given in
Spanish by native teachers, with little
English on the side. This is due chiefly,
however, to the inability of the native
teachers to talk English, but, as the old
teachers of the Spanish regime retire, and
are replaced by younger ana more pro-
gTessve gensraon English t;. in n.
cupation we found about 900 teachers at
work in the schools of the island, not one
of whom could talk or read English
Their services were retained, but they are
being gradually replaced by younger
teachers who have been educated in mod
ern methods in the normal schools The
Spanish teachers still adhere to the an
Gent and primitive methods which are
entirely out of date, and for that reason
are disqualified for modern schools. We
found 1t not only expedient but necessary
to retain them until they could be re-
placed by younger people who had been
trained in our. normal schools. The
change took place IN the cities first and is
just beginning in the rural districts, be-
cause as you will understand, we had to
train the teachers.
Spread of Education.
1.-THE greatest effort of the government
in Porto Rico,- continued Mr.. Faulkner,
has been. the introduction of a general
modern system of free elementary educa
ton. At the American occupation we
found 551 schools with about 600 teach
ers and an average daily attendance of
$4,000 pupils. We now have LOO primary
schools, about / 200 teachers and an av-
erage daily attendance of AZ coo pupils,
ranging from six to sixteen years old. At
the occupation there was not a single
building in all the island constructed for
school purposes. One ancient dwelling
town of San Jerman-a very good build
ing, but not at all adapted for school pur-
poses. We have continued to use it, how
ever, and it is now being reconstructed.
We have built seventy modern school
houses and have put modern equipment
into many others. We have plans and
locations for many more school houses
which we are building as fast as we can
get the money. The insular government
advances the funds to the municipalities,
which pay back one-half the amount in
few years.
1.-The children of Porto Rico are remark
ably bright and eager to learn. Their par
ents are keenly anxious to have them go
to school, but we cannot accommodate them.
We ought to have daily attendance of
100000 children, but we can only accommO
date $4,000 less than half the school popu-
lation of the island. This situation is not
eminent. but it is our misfortune to lack
the money to build the school houses, and
the population scattered over the
rural districts that it is very difficult to
accommodate them. Nearly every child in
the cities, towns and villages is under in
struction. The 5000 children who are not
in school are peasants in the rural dis
tricts. The census of 1899 showed that
nearly seven-ninths of the population of
Porto Rico are strictly rural and are scat
tered over the island so that half of them
of the children in the towns, but we can
not afford to build as many school houses
as are needed in the country.
''Of the 100 teachers now employed in
the schools of Porto Rico all are natives
except 125 Americans, who are employed
in the normal and the high schools and as
superintendent and supervisors"