454 NATIVE EDUCATION IN THE TKANSKEI. 



The first great step towards the training of native teachers 

 was made in 1872 by the wise ]>rovision on the part of the 

 Government, for the granting of an Elementary Teachers' Certi- 

 ficate. 



The subjects required for this certificate inckided Arith- 

 metic, Enghsh, Geography, Handwriting, and School Manage- 

 ment, with Dutch and Kafir as optional subjects. 



The establishment of the certificate necessitated training 

 schools, where the pnj)ils could receive instruction in the re(|uired 

 subjects, and as a result some of the more important centres 

 were converted at that time into institutions. At these jjlaces 

 no fees were charged, at first, the whole expense being borne 

 by Missionary Societies, but the fee system is now fully estab- 

 lished. The influence of these Native Training Institutions upon 

 the whole educational system has been very great, and natur- 

 ally there has been a good deal of action and reaction as between 

 these institutions and the schools. The former produced better 

 teachers for the schools, and these in return produced better 

 material for the next generation of teachers. 



The greatest fault to find — and it is a serious fault — is that 

 the whole school system has become stereoty])ed to produce 

 teachers, and nothing but teachers. 



The first five teachers to take the certificate graduated from 

 Lovedale and Grahamstown in 1874; in the following year 37 

 were successful. The results seem to have varied a good deal 

 from year to year : — 



1874 



1905 



44 



The output of teachers varied in certain consecutive years 

 by as much as 50 per cent., and at the time of the retirement of 

 Sir Langham Dale, in 1892. the numbers had fallen below the 

 level of 1875. The introduction of a new system at this stage. 

 no doubt, is accountable for the low figures which followed dur- 

 ing a period of years, bnt by 1900 the i)roduction of teachers 

 once more moved forward. The contrast between the results 

 secured at the end of that year, and those secured at the end of 

 1915, give a good idea of the remarkable expansion of Native 

 Education during the inter\ening jieriod. In 1900, 37 teachers 

 were successful. In 1915, 288 graduated — an increase of 678 

 per cent. I'.ut this does not iiive an adeciuate idea of tlie 

 advance actually made, for the teachers' certificate is now taken 

 in three i)arts, and the 288 rejjresented only the third and final 

 stage. Six hundred and fifty-two candidates passed the first 

 year, and 448 were successful in the second year. Perhaps. 

 however, it would be belter for us lo tal)ulate these figures, so as 

 to visualise as far as possible the extraordinarv ex])ansion of 

 recent vears. 



