Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-09-25
E|R|sH EDUCATIONAL
Reconstruction NEEDED
Teachers in Elementary Schools I'm
derpaid and Not Held in
49, High Esteem.
ATTENDANCE AVERAGE is LOW
Chief Secretary for ireland Takes
:. Step Looking to Improving Teach
ing Conditions-Clcrica Opposi
ton to improvements Encountered.
By ALFRED PERCIvAL GRAVES,
tAuthor OF "Fathcr 0'i"lynn"I

81 ALFRED PERtiNAL GRAVES,
fAuthor OF '.Fnthcr o'Flynn"I
70, DUBLIN September 24-As an old
X educationist deeply interested in the re-
s construction OF education imminent in
England and Wales under the new cdu-
: cation act and IN Scotland under the
Dill proposing that the local admins
s. tration Of education in that country
shall be taken from the school boards
= and committed to the charge Of county
X councils and 10 the equivalent bodies
\ Gown councns) in The case OF the
\ cities, i was naturally eager 10 learn
whether any similar or other schemes
S Tor educa tionai reconstruction were en-
& Eaging the attention OF the powers
3 that be" in Ireland, and so soon as
& on the subject.
L was already familiar with The gen
6 eral lines of the recommendations con-
6 tanned In what has been known as the
dale inquiry" into the conditions or
! Irish elementary education. which
s proved that very much remained to he
buildings. schoolhooks and apparatus
the substitution of larger single schools
for groups OF unproiitably small ones.
as well ae in other directions. Some,
i though by no means many, OF the Dale
recomne ndationS have been adopted.
clerical opposition and want of funds
having interfcrcd with their fuller ac-
7 ceptance.
PAYMENT BY RESULTS
Other improvements have come along.
notably, the abolition Of the system of
payment by results. after the exami-
/ nation by inspectors of the schools. in
favor of inspection by them of the
methods of organizing, discipiininS
and teaching the schools. change for
the better arrived at after commits
sion of inquiry into the effects of a
similar change in English school direc-
ton. The English example OF putting
district school inspectors under the SUI
pcrvision of divisional chiefs has also
been followed with good results, and
the greater knowledge thus gained by
the senior inspectors for the common
good of the country. combined with the
greater freedom enjoyed by the teach
ers under a noncXamination system. has
resulted. as in England and Wales and
Scotland, in greater freshness and
greater variety in methods OF instruc-
tion and experiments In education.
such rs the bilngual method OF teach
ing IN the lrish-speaking districts.
some OF which have met with surpris-
ing success. 1t may be mentioned, for
example, that two teachers in such dis
tricts. who were on the point OF being
dismissed as incGectivcs, found them
selves" when the teaching OF Irish on
this plan was introduced by them into
their schools.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
AT Low EBB IN IRELAND
But Ireland, in primary and second
airy education still lags long way BE-
hind the sister Kingdoms. And the
causes for this are not FAR TO seek.
n low cbb. There is a loss OF from 20
10 so per cent in the attendanccs In
London it goes up from ,? 10 - per
cent: in Dublin per cent is rcckoned
as satisfactory attendance in spite OF
all the efforts OF the attendance Of
icerS and the magistrates.
In country parts 30 per cent is about
the average attendance, hut then many
of the local authorities do not appoint
attendance officers and tho system OF
giving prizes for good attendance. SO
in hrf < a n
came in, does not prevail in ireland.
With some 20 TO 50 per cent OF it's
scholars thus Put out OF action. what
is 10 be said OF the teachers who in
struct them" DO they occupy the hon
ored position in the eyes OF the peas
antry held by the old village and hedge
schoolmastcrS who taught Latin as
we'll as English and not little gcom-
ctry and algebra and tr;Sonomctry?
Unfortunately not The teachers OF
the three RS and merely elementary
have only four or five hours OF such
work on week days and none on SAT-
urdays, though often much better cdu-
Gated men and women than those of
the farming class. are looked down
upon by them. The clever boy OF the
family is not made teacher. bu, a
priest. the girl Of brains and high
charactcr becomes nun
The status OF the ..lrtsh elementary
teachers stands seritt'isly - need OF
raising and If they'wefc only dcccntly
MOVE TO IMPROVE
STATUS OF TEACHERS
1t is very satisfactory. therefore. to
note that MIR. Shortt the chief score
tarE for Ireland is appointing n COM
mittee OF inquiry into this very Qucs-
tion. II is high time this should he
done, IN spite OF the fact that Mr..
Duke, his predecessor. recently OBJ
tanned the sum OF fl.S-G. oco-hc had
asked for f2,0o0,00o from the Treasury
for this purpose. But that sum went
to increase tho salaries OF the older
teachers and tho teachers OF larger
schools. leaving inc Younger ones
doubly dissatisfied.
Thomas Ashc. the sim Fcin leader.
was an elementary schoolmastcr Is
1t to be wondered - that thousands of
young men and women with none
tary grievance, and no, 4 llitl" spare
time at their disposal. arc likely 10 be
carried away by such . doctrine as
of the Irish Board OF Education forbid
them not only from speaking at but
even attending, political meetings and
fees s mag !stratcs nr members OF To-
cal government bodies" Even apsrt
/. from The dangerous political opinions
they are thus tempted TO !inbibc is
there not great rist ia their comtrrlni-
eating them. II not during school hours
to their young charges, at any rate
after them 10 past pupils
The grant OF E2.i0O. 600 for -bc ir
Z crease OF their salaries ana their ne
4 ing either rated as civil servants. with
: f.orrpSDOndirg -,-i,f!.s,.e