attendance of 7. In our future Reports it is our intention to pub- Average daily lish a Return of the average daily attendance at each pupils. school, as well as the number on the rolls. The former is, in general, rather more than one-half of the total number on the books. The annual Reports of other educational institutions, in this country, exhibit about the same proportion between the average attendance and the number on the rolls. The irregular attendance of the pupils in our National Schools, and the removal of the great majority of them at an early age before their education can be much advanced, result from causes beyond the power of any arrangement effectually to control, originating in the poverty of the parents, and fluctuating with the change of seasons and the facility of procuring profitable employment for the children. The Head Inspectors have adverted to this circumstance in their Reports, and given several important statistical facts with regard to its injurious effects. turns furnished attendance of the rolls. 8. As the accuracy of the Returns published by our Alleged inaccuauthority, in our various Reports, of the number of racy in the Rechildren on the rolls, has been questioned, we deem it by the Commisnecessary to state, for the information of your Excel- sioners of the lency, that these Returns are furnished to us half- the children on yearly by the Patrons or Managers of the schools; that they contain the names of all the children who have been in attendance for any portion of each halfyear; and that the names of the Patrons or Managers are affixed to the Returns, certifying that they have examined the class-rolls, and found them to be correct. Whenever a report is made to us by our Inspectors, or other parties, that the lists of attendance in any particular school have been falsified by the Teacher, an inquiry into the facts is ordered, and if the allegation be proved, we inflict such punishment as the nature of each case demands. 9. The following summary exhibits the number of Number of NaNational Schools, in each province, on the 31st of tional Schools in each proDecember, 1851, and the number of children on the vince, with the rolls, for the half-year, ending the 30th September, number of chil1851, distinguishing those schools which were in ope- ance. ration, those to which we have promised building grants, and those suspended. VOL. I. b Return of new schools in 1851, arranged in provinces. 10. We have much pleasure in calling attention to the annexed Tabular Return of the 252 schools taken into connexion during the year, 1851, showing the number in each province, with the nature of the aid granted. *There was, in addition to this number, an attendance of 2,904 children in schools to which salaries have been granted during the three months, from the 30th September to the 31st December, 1851, making the total attendance on the rolls 520,401, being an average of 1103 children per school. religious deno Patrons or Ma nagers of the new schools 11. The 252 schools specified are under the manage- Number and ment of 204 separate individuals, many of them having minations of the more than one school under their care. The religious denominations to which they belong are as follows:Church of England—clerical, 11, lay, 19; Presbyterians taken into con-clerical, 16, lay, 6; Dissenters-clerical, 0, lay, 2; nexion in 1851. Roman Catholic-clerical, 130, lay, 11. Total Protestants of all persuasions, clerical and lay, 54; total Roman Catholics, clerical and lay, 141. Total, whose religious denominations have been ascertained, 195; not ascertained, 9; total number of applicants, 204. schools in 1851. 12. It will be seen from the foregoing tables, that we Amount of have made grants to build and furnish 94 schools, 43 of grants to new which are grants for the year 1851. Many of these schools have been for some time in progress of building, and will be soon completed: others have been only recently commenced: and towards the erection of the remainder no steps have yet been taken. The outstanding grants, made in various years, to these 94 schools, amount to £6,042 6s. 4d. In addition to the 43 new building cases, we awarded grants of salaries and books to 209 new schools, making, in 1851, a total of 252 new cases. 13. There were 35 new schools opened during the Number of year, towards the erection of which we had made grants. into operation schools brought These are included in the 4,704 schools in operation on in 1851, towards the 31st December, 1851, and their names will be found the erection of inserted in a special list in the Appendix. which the Commissioners had made grants. vested and non vested schools. III.-14. At the termination of the year 1851 we had Total number of on our list, vested either in Trustees, or in our Board, 1,071 school-houses, containing 1,574 rooms, accommodating distinct schools. The number of non-vested schools was 3,190, amongst which, as in the case of vested schools, there are many in which male and female schools are held under the same roof, though in separate rooms.* school-houses 15. During the year 1851, we made grants towards Repairs of the repairs of schools vested in our Board, amounting to vested in the £1,585 128. 7d. We have found it necessary to keep Board. the expense under this head within restricted limits, There are, in addition, 47 schools to be vested in the Board, leases of which are in course of execution, Applications for grants to new schools. Number of applications for grants to new schools, from the 1st of to the 1st of November. and the regulation for this purpose, as explained in our Report for 1850, continues in force. IV.-16. The number of applications for grants to new schools in the year 1851, was 391. To 252 of these we promised the requisite assistance, either for building, or for salaries and books. The remaining 139 applications were rejected for various reasons, of which official records are kept. 17. The number of applications for grants towards the establishment of new schools, from the commencement of the present year, 1852, to the 1st of November, January, 1852, has exceeded that for the corresponding period of 1851. The total number was 323. Of these 90 were from the province of Ulster; 86, Munster; 59, Leinster; 88, Connaught; total, 323. We have great satisfaction. in stating, that those applications were received from 287 separate individuals, of various religious denominations:-Established Church, clerical, 15, lay, 27; Presbyterians, clerical, 28, lay, 4; other Protestant Dissenters, clerical, 1, lay, --; Roman Catholics, clerical, 179, lay, 27. Total, Protestants of all persuasions, 75; Roman Catholics, 206. Total, whose religious denominations have been ascertained, 281; not ascertained, 6; total number of applicants, 287. Total amount of in 1851. V.-18. The amount of salaries paid to National laries, gratuities, &c., paid Teachers, Assistant Teachers, and Workmistresses, will always form the largest item in our annual account of expenditure, and must increase every year in proportion to the expansion of our system. In 1851, it was £72,982 98. 6d., being an increase, as compared with 1850, of £6,018 7s. 2d. We do not include in this sum the salaries and gratuities to Teachers of Agricultural Schools, the weekly payments to the Industrial Classes of boys who work on the farms, the grants towards Free Scholarships, the salaries to Teachers of Evening Schools, to organizing Teachers and Paid Monitors, together with premiums for order and cleanliness, and gratuities for various other purposes. These are specified, separately, under their respective heads, and amount to £3,098 15s. 1d.; making a total sum of salaries, gratuities, premiums, &c., during the year 1851, of £76,081 48. 7d., considerably more than one-half of the grant voted by Parliament for the promotion of National Education in Ireland, in 1851. ries in 1851. 19. In accordance with the promise contained in our Increase in last Report, we made small additions to the rates of Teacher's salasalaries to the more deserving of the first class of Male Teachers, to the Probationary Teachers, as well as to the Assistant Teachers, both male and female, and to the Workmistresses. These arrangements took effect from the 1st of April, 1851, and were paid in conformity with the following scale: 20. The amount paid to Monitors for the year 1851, Paid Monitors. in accordance with the subjoined increased scale, was £1,362 188. 4d.; and the number of Paid Monitors, at the close of the year, was 341, of which two-thirds were males, and one-third females. We have it in contemplation next year to make a still further addition to the number, and to make important alterations in connexion with their training, which will be explained in our next Report. Scale from 1st April, 1851-Eight Male and Four Female 1st year, 2nd £4 3rd year, £7 £8 sales of books VI.-21. The receipts for books sold to National Amount of the Schools, at reduced prices, in the year 1850, was to National £5,401 58. 4d. The amount received in 1851, was Schools £5,887 158. Id. The increase over the preceding year was £486 10s. 5d. The number of orders for books received in 1851, was 5,588, making the average amount of each order £1 18. 03d. |