by them from sources of employment apart from their schools, APPENDIX C. as netting, embroidery, &c. I. Head Examination Attendance of Pupils.-The state of the attendance is rather Inspectors' more satisfactory than in the male schools already alluded to, Reports on and is even somewhat higher, though not much, than the of Teachers. averages returned in the years 1849 and 1850, there being― 22 in which the average attendance is under 13 in which it amounts to 30, but is under 10 in which it is from 40 up to 2 in which it is above 50, but under 5 in which it is between 70 and 3 in which it is between 100 and 30 40 50 70 100 200 And the total average for all for the year ending June, 1851, was 2,338, thus yielding for each au average attendance of 425 pupils. The proportion per cent. which this last bears to the average number on the rolls, throughout the year, I find to be 56.6. Cost of Education.-In estimating the cost of education for That the average payment from all sources That the average amount of school fees paid 11s. 41d. per annum. 8s. 41d. 2s. Id., nearly,, The two first items are higher than those returned in my Supply of School Requisites.-The amount of school requisites, at half-price, purchased by the 55 schools for sale to their pupils during the year ending June, 1851, is given as £60 11s. 10d., which shows an average supply for each equal in value to £1 2s. As many as nine schools had ordered no books or other requisites during the same period. Ages of Teachers and Period of Service.-In concluding these details, I shall add here tables exhibiting the ages of the Teachers, and their periods of service in the work of instruction. There are then of the 57 examined and classified And the 18 under 20 years of age. 34 of 20 years, but under 30 years of age. 5 of 30 years, but under 40 years of age. average age for each is 223 years-an average lower Mr. M'Creedy. APPENDIX C. by four years than that returned for 147 females in 1849, and two years less than that given for 74 more examined in 1850. I. Head Mr. M'Creedy. And as to period of service there are-- 35 who reckon less than 5 years' service as Teachers. While again, 38 have been less than 5 years under the Board. 15 have been 5 years, but under 10 years. 4 have been 10 years, but under 15 years. Only seven of the entire number are married; 24 have been trained; and 44, or about four-fifths, have received their education at National Schools. Written Examination of Males.--In Appendix A will be found a summary of the results of the answering at this examination. That summary speaks for itself, and I shall only add here one or two general remarks. As a whole, and for all classes, the answering is considerably lower than that returned for the men of 1849, but shows some little improvement, except in the case of the Third Class, on that of 1850. Third Class, and those Examined on Paper C.-These, while about equal on the whole to those of 1850, are a little inferior to them in grammar, geography, and mensuration, but somewhat superior on the other hand in arithmetic and book-keeping. It is to be remembered, however, in extenuation of their inferiority, that six-sevenths of them were probationers, and but a short time under the Board, whereas of those examined on corresponding questions in 1850, somewhat less than two-thirds only were of that grade. Second Class, and those Examined on Paper B.-The answering is a very little superior to that of the year 1850 in grammar, arithmetic, and one or two other branches, and is again inferior in some of not less importance, with but a slight shade of improvement in the general results. The subjects in which last year the failure was greatest, were geometry, mensuration, book-keeping, and natural philosophy-the same as stood lowest in 1850, and for precisely the same reasons-the neglect, on the part of the Teachers, of proportioning their time properly, and their too great eagerness to answer all the questions set before them, instead of at first wisely making a selection on each topic, as they proceed, of those most familiar to them, in order that they may be able to give a fair share of attention to every part of the course embraced in their paper, and not to leave any one, if possible, altogether untouched, or to be slurred over hurriedly at the close. First Class, or those Examined on Paper A.-The answering APPENDIX C. here, though not as a whole so high as that of 1849, was very I. Head much superior to that of 1850; and, what is particularly Inspectors' satisfactory, the improvement is greatest in branches of most Reports on importance, as grammar, geography, arithmetic, book-keeping, of Teachers. and natural philosophy. Examination In the preceding observations, I have in view the Teachers Mr. M'Creedy. as a body; there were a good number, however, among them, of all classes, whose exercises were very fair, and reflected much credit on their authors; and there was one man in particular, whom I cannot avoid thus noticing-Mr. Alexander M'Quilkin, of the Derry Male school-whose paper throughout, with one or two unimportant slips, was one of great and uniform excellence. In this paper Mr. M'Quilkin returned answers to 51 out of 56 questions, 47 of those answers, moreover, deserving of the highest mark, being at once both full and correct. Oral Examination.-The Commissioners having determined, in 1850, to grant to the Teachers attending the examinations, a certain allowance for travelling expenses, and if detained overnight at the appointed place of meeting, something also in the way of compensation for cost of lodging, &c., I last year extended the oral examination of the men, who, under this new rule, so full of consideration for their circumstances, could suffer little inconvenience by the change, to two entire days for each, instead of confining it, as before, to one day, my previous experience having taught me that the latter afforded quite too little time to do full justice either to the men themselves or the subjects brought before them. Limited to one day, the Inspector is liable to be induced, in order to get through his work, either to press his questions too rapidly on the Teachers, in his desire to go over every thing, or, seeing the inconvenience of this, or perhaps from having a natural distaste to it, to skim lightly over a variety of subjects, and turn the chief current of the examination upon some two or three chosen topics. With two days, one is less tempted to either of these courses, and the examination can not only be made more complete, more thorough, and more searching, but likewise greatly inore satisfactory to both Teacher and Inspector. According to this new arrangement, the District Inspector and myself took up, the first day, slate-arithmetic and mensuration, and such branches of the course as admit properly of individual examination, as reading, parsing, geometry, and tracing of outline maps; and the second day we devoted to such subjects as are best fitted for collective questioning, as grammar, geography, history, &c. A record of each man's I. Head APPENDIX C. answering was made, as the business proceeded, on a paper previously drawn up for the purpose, and from which afterwards it was transferred, together with the results of his written exercises and the characteristics of his school, to the back of his "docket," that so we might have before us in one view, when we came to classify him, the full measure of the Mr. M'Creedy. man, whether as regarded his knowledge or efficiency. In Table B, given in the Appendix, I have collected together into one summary view, the detailed particulars of this examination, spread over the annexed tabulated returns. Comparing it with the like table of 1850, it is seen that there is no satisfactory evidence of decided general improvement; for while the answering last year, with the small number examined on natural philosophy and the lessons on reasoning, was superior to that of the former, as were also for all classes the reading and penmanship, the inferiority of the answers in those most important subjects-arithmetic, the lesson-books, mensuration, and money matters, is very striking. I may here observe, that there is hardly any part of the examination on which the Teachers acquit themselves so unsatisfactorily as that bearing on their lesson-books, a melancholy but unquestionable proof of their want of interest in their work, and the little care bestowed by them in preparing their minds for the efficient and really profitable instruction of their pupils. Frequently, in the course of these examinations, have I met with men, many years under the Board, and who must, therefore, have been in the daily habit of teaching from its publications, who, nevertheless, seemed so utterly ignorant of our Third and Fourth Lesson-books as to be unable to return an answer to any one out of some eight or ten questions put to them on the first three or four chapters of their opening sections. FEMALES. Written Examination.-In Table C of the Appendix I give a summary of the results of the females' written exercises; these, it will be seen, are for the Third and Second Classes very much the same as those returned in 1850, while for the First Class there is a slight falling off on the course generally, with a considerable decline in geography. Oral Examination.-In Table D will be found a general view of the answering at this examination. In regard to grammar, the lesson-books, and arithmetic, it falls behind that of 1850, but I am glad to observe that there is a decided improvement in the general style of reading; that the penmanship, also, is markedly superior; and that in geography, though the inferior marks are not less in proportion, the su▾ Examination perior marks are much greater than in that year. Some six or APPENDIX C. eight young persons-assistants and probationers-answered I. Head remarkably well, and gave every promise of soon attaining a Inspectors' high standard of excellence in all the subjects of their course. Reports on In the Tables E and F I have given summaries of the of Teachers. returns of the District Inspectors regarding the general state of the schools of the Teachers examined with reference to the Mr. M'Creedy. course of instruction pursued in them, the proficiency of the pupils in that course, the nature of the discipline kept up, and the extent to which order and cleanliness are observed. The reports under the latter heads are satisfactory, and under the former not generally unfavourable. I have the honour to remain, Gentlemen, your obedient Servant, WILLIAM MCCREEDY, Head-Inspector. The Secretaries, Education Office. NOTE I. MEMORANDA to be observed in the WRITTEN EXAMINATION. [These were first drawn up and forwarded to the District Inspectors in 1849.] Docket. This is to be filled up carefully the first thing after the Teachers have taken their seats, and is to be attached afterwards to their papers. Written Exercises. These to be given on separate half sheets or single leaves; each half sheet or leaf to have written at top the name of the Teacher, and that of his school; to be written on one side only; no more than one subject to be entered on in the same leaf or page, and each answer to be separated from the next following by a black line drawn right across from side to side of page. The subject of the questions to be written in large characters immediately under the Teacher's name at top. Margin.-A margin of one inch and half to be marked off on left hand side of each leaf, and nothing to be written therein except the numbers of the questions, and the words of the parsing exercise. Style of Answers.—Yes or no is not to be taken for an answer unless accompanied with some development or expansion of the thought; and in algebra, arithmetic, and mensuration, the whole work must be transferred to the paper, if previously wrought out on slate, and not the result or answer merely. Printed Questions.-The first half sheet or page of each paper to be given out for the morning's sitting, and the second |