Local authorities.-Every province has a provincial board of educa tion (junta), and every town its local board, consisting of the principal officers of the province or town, a priest, and at least two heads of families. In 1885 the local juntas for primary instruction comprised 50,000 persons, of whom 48,264 could read and write, 352 could read but not write, and 1,384 could neither read nor write. TEACHERS OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS. Appointment, number, and classification.-From the report by Señor Ibañez it appears that teachers of public schools are appointed by the government, while teachers of private schools are appointed by the local juntas. The number of teachers engaged in public primary schools in 1880 was 23,783 and in private schools 9,751, making a total force of 33,534. At the beginning of 1885 the teaching force for the public primary schools numbered 25,271 persons. At the earlier date there was 1 public primary school teacher for every 60 pupils enrolled, and for every 43 pupils in average attendance, while in 1885 there was 1 teacher for every 61 pupils enrolled and for every 41 in average attendance. The force reported for 1885 was composed as follows: Head teachers. Male. Female. 15, 842 7,390 1, 022 Qualifications.-The decree of October 14, 1868, modifying the law of June 2, 1868, permitted Spaniards not provided with diplomas to give primary instruction, but the government has continued in a certain measure to exact a diploma or at least a certificate of its public teachers. The law provides that teachers must be at least twenty years of age and must give proof of good moral character. An idea of the guaranties actually offered by the teachers may be formed from the number of teachers and assistant teachers who have nothing to show but a certificate of aptitude. These certificates are obtained by means of an examination before the local juntas or before the board of counsellors of the normal schools; that is to say, the certificates are obtained from persons who do not understand anything about teaching. In 1880, according to Señor Ibañez, 67 per cent. of the teachers of public schools had obtained diplomas, 23 per cent. had only certificates of aptitude, 9 per cent. had neither, while the status of a small proportion was unknown. The intellectual level of public school teachers is in general higher and their preparation more complete than is the case with private school teachers. In the same year, 1880, of the private school teachers 38 per cent. had diplomas, 5 per cent. certificates of capacity, and 56 per cent. neither. The report for 1885 classifies the teachers of public schools with respect to diplomas as follows: Ten thousand two hundred and forty-six masters had obtained diplo mas, i. e., were profesores titulares; 5,015 had only certificates of aptitude; 581 had neither; 7,070 female teachers had diplomas, 143 certifi cates, and 121 neither one nor the other. The proportion of teachers having diplomas increased slightly from 1880 to 1885. Salaries of teachers.-Teachers' salaries are very small and, owing to the exhaustion of the Spanish treasury, are paid irregularly. They ranged in 1880 from $24 to $386 per annum. In 1885, the distribution of teachers with respect to salaries was as follows: One hundred and eighty received an annual remuneration of $386; 1,450 received an annual remuneration of $212 to $328; 14,926 less than $193; 8,715 from $24 to $81. Training of teachers.-Article 110 of the law of 1857 makes provision for the establishment of a primary normal school for the training of teachers in each of the principal cities of the provinces. Normal schools.-In 1885, 48 normal schools for men were maintained; 20 in buildings specially devoted to the purpose and 20 in rented buildings; 7,467 candidates presented themselves for final examination, some for national schools (enseñanza oficial) and others for private schools (enseñanza libre). Of this number 6,008 were approved; 4,320 for elementary grades, 1,438 for superior elementary schools, and 250 for normal elementary schools. Thirty-three normal schools were at the same time supported for the training of female teachers; 8,896 candidates presented themselves for examination; 4,577 obtained certificates for elementary schools; 2,574 obtained certificates for superior primary schools; total, 7,151. Pensions. Teachers of public schools are, by the law of 1857, entitled to a pension, and this right extends to their widows and orphans. The age for pensioning is sixty years, exceptions being made in severe cases of illness. All teachers of public primary schools are likewise entitled to a respectable dwelling house, large enough to accommodate their families. PRESCRIBED STUDIES AND ORGANIZATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS. The courses of studies in the elementary primary schools is substantially that prescribed by the law of 1857; it includes religion, scriptural history, reading, writing, the elements of Spanish grammar, and the rudiments of arithemetic. The superior primary course comprises the elements of geometry, of linear drawing and surveying, history and geography, chemistry, and natural history. Classification and distribution of schools.-In the category of public schools are included infant schools (escuelas de párvulos), primary day schools for children of six to fourteen years of age, Sunday schools for ED 89-16 secular instruction (Sunday schools not in a sense of religious schools, but ordinary schools held on Sunday for the accommodation of those who can not attend at other times), and adult classes. The statistics of enrollment and attendance already given (p. 236) include all the classes of schools; information as to their relative number in 1885 is wanting; the showing for 1880, which is presumably not far from the actual state at the end of the half decade, is of value, as it throws much light upon the conditions of school attendance. The classification of schools in that year was as follows: These schools were distributed irregularly throughout Spain, the number of inhabitants to a school varying greatly. In the province of Alava there were 265 inhabitants to each school district; in the prov ince of Cadiz, 1,185. These numbers give the extremes; the general average in Spain at that date was 561 inhabitants for each school district. Between 1850 and 1880 the number of schools was almost doubled, a result undoubtedly of the law of 1857. In the period 1871-80, 5,828 schools were established, but only 2,132 were permanent. In the institutions supported by the State education is free. The union of public and ecclesiastic agencies in the work of elementary instruction is indicated by the following: Statistics of public and private schools in charge of religious corporations and divers asso ciations, October 30, 1880. The above number of schools includes 64 private institutions belong. ing to other denominations than the Catholic; 13 were Methodist, 18 Evangelical, 7 Protestant, 10 Presbyterian, and 16 unknown. Nearly all these schools were pay-schools, 14 were supported by the contributions of the pupils, 2 by a society in London, 7 by other foreign societies. As to the remainder, their sources of support are not reported. These schools instructed 2,052 boys and 1,344 girls; their teaching force, small in number, consisted of 1 male or 1 female teacher for each school; 42 assistant teachers carry the total number of teachers to 106. School buildings and material.—Official regulations are issued prescrib ing the minimum size and capacity of school-rooms, the modes of lighting and ventilation, and the equipments, as follows: A platform 2 feet high and from 10 to 12 feet wide, with steps; a writing desk and armchair for the teacher; a crucifix and the portrait of the king; a wall clock; two cases with shelves; two tables with chairs for the inspectors; six chairs for persons who visit the school; writing material; desks for the children 24 to 30 inches high and 12 to 14 broad, 3 to 4 inches distant from the benches; the benches should be 14 to 16 inches high and 6 inches wide. The table and bench form a single body with 14 inches mean length. The space between the walls and the first row of benches is 6 feet. Blackboards, slates with the number of the classes, reference books and apparatus with which to teach arithmetic, maps, etc., are objects belonging to school-rooms according to the actual system. A school-room holding 60 to 70 children should be 14 varas in length and 9 in width, or 11 metres 70 centimetres by 7 metres 52 centimetres. The condition of the Spanish schools with respect to hygiene is unsatisfactory, and the necessity is felt of selecting localities which will better unite the conditions of health and comfort required in school buildings. The private schools are as unhealthy as the public schools. In 1885 there were 1,375 public schools occupying buildings which were the property of the respective localities; 10,184 school buildings were mediocre or bad; 8,210 dwellings, designed for residences of teachers, were in a deplorable condition. SECONDARY INSTRUCTION. The chief establishments for secondary instruction are the provincial institutos; in affiliation with these are local colegios. According to a regulation of May 22, 1859, the directors of the institutos are nominated by the King from among the incumbents of university chairs, or if circumstances require, a director may be appointed from the rank of doctors or licentiates of science, philosophy, and letters. In some cases selection may be made of a person not having the specified degrees, but of recognized qualification for the duties. From the report of Señor Ibañez it appears that in 1878-79 the provinces had established 61 institutos (i. e., secondary classical schools), which, with 356 colegios, made a total of 417 secondary establishments. The official report for 18891 gives the number of institutos as 59, with 481 colegios, or a total of 540 secondary schools. The pupils under secondary instruction at the two dates were distributed as follows: Expenditures for secondary instruction.-In 1878-79 the total expenditure for secondary instruction in public institutions was $475,381, viz: salaries, $416,677; material, $58,707. In 1888-89 the expenditure had increased to $651, 356. Receipts. The receipts, in addition to public appropriations, amounted in the former year to $208,436; in the latter to $333,177. The following itemized statement for 1878-79 indicates the sources of income other than public appropriations from which public secondary institutions derive their support: School fees...... Examination fees and fees for the diploma of baccalaureate... Total.... $119,899 27,779 60,759 208,436 Teachers of secondary schools.-The law of 1857 prescribed that all teachers in secondary schools should be at least twenty-four years of age and should hold the degree of Bachelor of Arts. The revolutionary government of 1868 required a competitive examination.2 In 1880 the number of professors in secondary institutions was 2,649; 888 taught in institutos, 1,761 in private colleges. Pensions. The provision of the law relative to pensions extends also to teachers of secondary schools. Course of studies.-Secondary instruction consists of two distinct courses, i. e., a course of general study and a course of applied study or practical course. The former is subdivided into two parts, the first comprising religion, scriptural history, reading, writing, universal and Spanish history, modern languages, Spanish and Latin grammar, composition, the rudiments of Greek, logic, psychology, and drawing. The second part comprises religion and morals, analysis, exposition of texts, and composition in the Latin and Spanish languages, elementary course of Greek, universal and Spanish history, physics, chemistry, natural All the statistics in the following pages relating to secondary and superior instruction for 1889 have been taken from the Anuario estadístico de instrucción pública. 2See Schmid's Encyclopädie des Erzichungswesens. |