The need for reform is more urgent and, in many respects, better defined
in the system of Secondary than in that of Primary Education in Ireland.
But the two ought to be closely interconnected, and in discussing one at
least of the more important changes which it is desirable to introduce,
the National Schools have as good a claim to be heard in the matter as
their elder brethren.
Since 1900 great efforts have been made by the Intermediate Board to
promote the interests of Secondary Schools and to supply the educational
needs of those who want to equip themselves for the struggle of life in
its various departments. In 1900, the Board of Intermediate Education
was empowered to appoint inspectors, but it was not until quite
recently, after many fruitless applications and under a threat of
resignation by the Board, that inspection was placed on a business-like
footing and a permanent staff of six inspectors appointed. But this,
after all, is a comparative detail, and reform will have to strike deep
indeed if the secondary schools in Ireland are to take their place as a
living part of a living body.
The question of reform may be dealt with under three principal heads:
(1) the abolition of the examination tests, (2) the inter-relationship
between the Primary and Secondary systems, and (3) the position of
teachers. Although there are other matters which will be briefly
referred to, these are the three cardinal difficulties that beset the
Intermediate Board to-day and obstruct the most public-spirited efforts
to convert the Irish educational system into one organic whole.
(1) Although the mischievous principle of fees by results has
disappeared for ever from the National Schools, it still clings to
Intermediate Education, numbing and constricting, like some remorseless
ivy limb, the growth and free exercise of the central stem and its
branches, and preventing the natural sap from rising and vitalising the
whole. It is not as though the rest of the world had set the seal of its
approval upon this kind of examination. The contrary is the fact. Almost
every country in the world has rejected this system as wholly
pernicious, injurious for the pupil, demoralising for the teacher, and
wasteful for the State. To regard the youth of the Secondary Schools
merely as the geese that lay the golden eggs when the examinations
occur, is to destroy the true aims of education and pervert the
principle of rational development. In fact, payments to Intermediate
Schools ought to depend largely on the results of inspection, and much
less on written examinations, a change which would involve the
appointment of a larger number of inspectors than at present exist. It
is all-important that this alteration should be undertaken without
delay. The mechanical agglomeration of lifeless snippets of information
which characterises the present method is an absurd and antiquated
remnant of the bad old times, and the sooner this part of the system is
hewn down the better it will be for the conscientious discharge of the
teacher's duties and the self-respect of all concerned.
(2) As for any proper official relationship between the Primary and
Secondary systems, it may be said as yet to be practically non-existent.
That co-ordination of the two is essential--nay, vital--if Irish
education is to be placed on a sound footing, may be appreciated from
the fact that a large proportion, or 57 per cent, of the membership of
Intermediate Schools is recruited from the schools of the National
Board. There seem to be only two ways in which this co-ordination can be
satisfactorily effected. Either the pupils must transfer from the
National to the Secondary Schools at an age when they will be young
enough to profit by Secondary instruction, or some sort of higher
instruction must be given in the National Schools so as to fit the
children, when they leave the latter at rather a later age, for the
curriculum awaiting them in the Secondary system. It is the Treasury at
the present moment, and the Treasury alone, that blocks the way to this
reform. Since 1902 it has been asked to sanction the establishment of
higher grade schools in large centres; the National Board also has
repeatedly pleaded for the institution of a "higher top," or advanced
departments, in connection with selected Primary Schools in rural
districts. But all these requests, founded though they have been on
intimate knowledge of the requirements of Irish Education and a ripe
experience ranging over many years, have been brushed aside by the
officials at the Exchequer, although the cost would be only about
£25,000 a year, on the very insufficient ground that the Development
Grant has been depleted to defray the loss of flotation of stock for the
purposes of land purchase. What, in the name of common sense, has land
purchase to do with education? What indissoluble relationship is there
between the two that the expenditure upon the one should be made
dependent upon the requirements of the other? This niggardly and
short-sighted attitude is hardly worthy of one of the richest countries
in the world. It is but a matter of a few thousands, and surely the
efficient training of the youth of Ireland is quite as important as
buying out the Irish landlords and placing the Irish tenant in
possession of the soil. The result of the present want of co-ordination
is that the clever pupil is now kept far too long in the lower school.
There he remains, kicking his heels until he is sent up to the
Intermediate School at 15 or 16--much too late an age at which to begin
the study of languages. The Primary teachers are, of course, only too
pleased to retain the clever boys as long as possible in the National
Schools, but it is unfair to the children, and is robbing the community
of services which might be rendered to it by these pupils in the future
if fair opportunities were afforded them of training themselves while
there was yet time. Without higher grade schools, without scholarships,
without at least some system of a "higher top" in connection with the
Primary Schools, there can never be proper co-ordination of
administration, and education in Ireland will never be able to progress
beyond a certain point. The Christian Brothers have set the Treasury a
good example in this matter. In their schools there is close
co-ordination of primary and intermediate education. Promising boys in
the fifth standard are removed when they are 11 or 12 years of age into
the higher schools and thus given an opportunity, at the most receptive
period of their lives, of acquiring knowledge which they will be able to
turn to good account in after life. Over and over again has the National
Board attempted to persuade the Treasury to adopt a similar system, but
hitherto without avail. The crust of the official mind has been
impervious to every appeal. There seems, indeed, to be now some chance
of the establishment of scholarships for pupils in primary schools, but
unless an intelligent mind is brought to bear upon it, and the
scholarships limited, as in England and Scotland, to pupils under 12 or
13 years of age, the same unfortunate result will follow, as in the case
of the Society for Promoting Protestant Schools and other similar
bodies, where the scholarships have turned out to be a practical
failure. An exception, however, as suggested by Dr. Starkie, and as
allowed in Scotland, might be made in favour of the best Primary
Schools. That is to say, where satisfactory Secondary teaching is given
at a Primary School, the pupil might be relieved of one or two of the
three years he is obliged to spend in the Secondary School before he can
compete for the Intermediate Certificate which is awarded at 15 years of
age.
The argument is sometimes used that the establishment of higher grade
schools would lead to unfair competition with the Intermediate Schools
already in existence. No one desires to do this. Where the Intermediate
Schools already hold the field, such overlapping can easily be avoided
by proper administrative co-ordination between the National and
Secondary systems. Where, on the other hand, there is a dearth of
Intermediate Schools, as in Connaught and Kerry, higher grade schools
can, and should be established without any risk either of overlapping or
competition. They would supply a want which is deplored by all
educational reformers, and make their influence felt far outside the
mere circle of the schoolroom. A private commercial school has already
been founded in Kerry and has continued for some time without State
help, but, through want of encouragement, it has recently been compelled
to adopt the programme of the Intermediate Board, which is entirely
unsuited to its particular aims. Surely, private enterprise of this kind
ought not only to be welcomed, but stimulated by a State grant, and
everything possible done to encourage schools to develop along their own
lines. At the present moment, they are bound hand and foot by the
examination rules of the Intermediate Board, and it is quite impossible
for any central authority, however eagle-eyed and sympathetic, to
appreciate the peculiar atmosphere and wants of every locality. In such
cases, local initiative is far more valuable than red tape, and more
likely to result in an intelligent interest in his pupils and subject on
the part of the teacher.
(3) The position of the Secondary teachers, especially of lay assistant
teachers, cries aloud for reform. In fact, their case is an acknowledged
scandal. How can any one expect that the training of the youth in the
Secondary Schools can be really satisfactory when the teachers are so
miserably underpaid, when the elements of self-respect are given no room
in which to develop, and the whole profession are treated rather as
beasts of burden than as a noble and responsible body to whom is
entrusted much of the destiny of the race? The question of reform is
here largely a question of money. There are signs that this fact is
becoming more appreciated as the years go by, and it is devoutly to be
hoped that before long the teaching profession in the Secondary Schools
will have no more to complain of than the Primary teachers, or than is
usual in even the most cared-for and prosperous professions in this our
imperfect world. Salaries, pensions, a register, security of tenure,
opportunities of proper training--these may be said to embody the chief
requirements of Secondary teachers at the present moment. In existing
circumstances there is no attraction for competent men and women to
enter the teaching profession so far as Intermediate education is
concerned. The most incompetent crowd into it, although there are many
exceptions, and teaching is regarded as a stop-gap during periods of
impecuniosity rather than as a permanent career to be proud of and to be
worked for. The salaries are beggarly--considerably lower than the
incomes of the teachers in the Primary Schools. In 1908, the average
salaries of principals in the Primary Schools were £112 for men and £90
for women, and in the County Boroughs £163 and £126 respectively, whilst
in the Secondary Schools lay assistants were paid about £80 _per annum.
_In view of this, surely the demand that is being made on behalf of
highly qualified Secondary teachers is not exorbitant, namely, salaries
of £100 to £300 for men and of £80 to £220 for women. If the maximum
rate were £150 for men and £100 for women the cost would be £220,000 a
year. Where is the money to come from? Will a Nationalist Parliament be
prepared to find it, and if so, from what source? Ireland is a
comparatively poor country and is not in a position to bear much more
taxation. The Intermediate Board, with its present resources, cannot
afford to step into the breach, and the only solution seems to be that
the British Exchequer should come to the rescue and that the Board
should be granted the means of dealing with this all-important matter,
the neglect of which is having a most injurious effect upon the
efficiency of the Intermediate Schools. It has been suggested that a
half-way house might be found, that the Treasury should grant £60 for
each assistant master and £40 for each assistant mistress, and that the
remainder should be raised by the authorities of the schools under the
direction of the Board. This alternative scheme would cost the State
about £88,300 a year, but, like all makeshifts, would not effect a real
settlement of the difficulty, creating, as it would, a patchwork system
of payment which might break down at any moment. On the other hand, let
the settlement be a generous one, and the return will be a hundredfold
in added efficiency, a higher sense of duty, and an increased personal
interest on the part of the teacher in the class of which he has charge.
In close connection with the question of salaries are those of pensions
and security of tenure. The pensions of the Primary teachers, inadequate
though they be, would be looked upon as a provision of the most
munificent kind by the poor men and women who enter service under the
Intermediate system. The Primary teachers, moreover, can fall back upon
subsidiary occupations if they find that their salaries are insufficient
for their maintenance. They can run a little farm or keep a shop or do
other remunerative work, but the assistants in Secondary Schools are
debarred from these methods of supplementing their exiguous wage. Those
terrible words might, without any extravagance, be inscribed for them
over the doors of their schools: "All hope abandon ye who enter here."
Something must be done. A starvation wage, with an adequate pension to
follow, might be tolerable, a decent wage, without any pension, might be
borne, but starvation at both ends is a disgrace to the Treasury while
it lasts and one of the things which should be taken in hand without any
further delay.
Security of tenure is equally important. How can a teacher be expected
to devote the whole of his mental energies to his scholastic duties, how
can any one expect him to throw himself heart and soul into his work, if
there is always lurking in his mind the haunting fear of dismissal
through no fault of his own? It is unreasonable to suppose that any
human being can give of his best under these distracting conditions. In
the National Schools a system of appeal has been in force for some time,
and has been carried out with fairness on the part of those in authority
and to the apparent satisfaction of the teaching profession. The
dismissal order of every Roman Catholic manager has to be countersigned
by the Bishop of the Diocese, and in the case of all teachers an appeal
is now allowed to the Board itself, and is often utilised by
Protestants. In fact, so far as the National Schools are concerned, the
tenure of the Primary teachers during good behaviour is practically
secured. Why cannot similar safeguards be introduced into the
Intermediate system? An appeal to the Board in this case is not proposed
by those who know all the circumstances best; but teachers in Roman
Catholic schools might have the right of appeal, in the case of Diocesan
Colleges, to the Bishop of the Diocese, or in the case of schools under
religious orders to the Provincials or Generals, and Protestant teachers
might be allowed to appeal to the Board of Governors of their schools,
or they might sign an agreement, providing for a referee, such as the
No. 3 and 4 agreements under the National Board.
A register of teachers is also required. Every existing teacher in the
Intermediate Schools who satisfies the tests of efficiency should be
placed upon it without delay. As far as future appointments are
concerned, qualifications might be adopted similar to those which now
obtain in the Scotch Department, _e.g._ (_a_) a degree in a University, or
its equivalent; (_b_) a diploma following professional training for one
year; and (_c_) two probationary years in a good school. Special terms
would probably be demanded for those who, like Nuns, are precluded by
their calling from attending lectures at a University.
These are some of the reforms which could, and should be introduced to
make the teaching profession more efficient, more attractive for
competent and clever men and women, and more of a permanent and
honourable career than it has been in the past. Once again, it is not
unreasonable to ask--How will a Dublin Parliament be able to provide the
necessary funds? An extra annual sum of roughly £300,000 is required, in
addition to a further sum of about £330,000 to meet non-recurring
expenditure. These are, admittedly, moderate estimates. The matter,
anyway, is now ripe for settlement, and procrastination can only
aggravate the financial difficulty. So far as the educational problem is
concerned, it is a manifest obligation upon the Nationalist Party to
outline their proposals for the redress of these grievances, and to
indicate the means by which they can be carried out, before a separate
Legislature is set up for the people of Ireland.
Within the scope of these few pages it is not possible to comprise all
the aspects of modern Irish Education which are worthy of discussion.
What are most urgently needed to-day are the necessary funds to continue
the good work which is being done, and to introduce the reforms that
have been sketched above. Parsimony in educational matters is the most
wasteful of all misplaced thrift. Let the reformers be dealt with wisely
and generously, and the harvest will exceed even the expectations of
those who are working most hopefully upon the problem. Withhold the
funds on some niggardly and mistaken principle of petty economy, and the
present progress will be discouraged and the educational tree become
stunted in its growth. From an administrative point of view, nothing,
finance apart, would contribute more to the efficiency of Irish
Education than the amalgamation of the National and Intermediate
systems, as well as of the Technical work at present administered by the
Department of Agriculture and Technical Education, under one Board. The
method of examination by the Department is far sounder than that which
is forced upon the Intermediate Board by the Acts of Parliament under
which it works. In the case of science, the two are to be seen working
to-day side by side in the Secondary Schools, to the undoubted benefit
of the scientific course, which enjoys a double subsidy from the State,
and is subject to the superior method of examination by the Department,
being treated as a detached subject and the candidates being passed _en
bloc_. On the other hand, the obsolete method of examination by the
Board tends to the serious disadvantage of the classical curriculum, the
grants being made on the unprofitable results of a general examination
of individual candidates, the class not being regarded as a whole, as is
the case with the Department. By the repeal of the Intermediate Acts,
and by the amalgamation of the various Boards into one, these anomalies
would rapidly disappear, and for the first time a genuine system of
co-ordination could be introduced into Irish Education, which would knit
together the strength of all the parts and overcome many of the
prevailing weaknesses, making the whole system what it ought to be, a
living, growing, pulsating organism, developing and shaping itself with
the life of the nation.
Is it conceivable that all this can he accomplished if the Union between
the countries is rent asunder? What chance will there be of effecting
this great settlement, which requires money and, above all, requires
peace, when Ireland is plunged once again into the old internecine
struggles of the eighteenth century? The warning is writ very large upon
the wall, so that he who runs may read. The best hope for education in
Ireland are the resources of Great Britain and a uniform policy
undisturbed by party feuds. Neither of these can be looked for under a
separate Parliament. Under the Union Ireland can have both, for the
welfare of her children and the building of a noble history.