ON TEACHING CHEMISTRY. 263 



VI. The teaching of chemistry in evening schools under the 

 Education Department. 



The chief points in which the administration of evening schools 

 differs from that of day schools are as follows : — 



1. No pupils may be presented for examination below the third 



standard. 



2. In the third or fourth standard the first subject additional to 



the three R's must be English, and, if a second be taken, it 

 must be geography or elementary science. 



3. Above Standard IV. scholars are unrestricted in their choice of 



additional subjects. 



4. A fixed grant of 4s. is made on the average attendance if the 



class has met not less than forty-five times, and of Qs. if not 

 less than sixty times. 



A grant of 2s. is made for every pass in an elementary or additional 

 (i.e. class or specific) subject. 



The total number of scholars on the register of evening schools in 

 1887-8 was about 50,000, of whom about two-fifths were in Board 

 schools and three-fifths in Voluntary schools. One-seventh of the scholars 

 were under fourteen years of age, and one-twentieth twenty-one and over. 

 Nearly four-fifths were qualified for examination. About 1,200 passed in 

 two additional subjects {i.e., they may have taken a science subject). 



More detailed returns are not published, but probably it is safe to say 

 that less than 500 evening scholars took chemistry as a specifiq subject. 

 This shows that the teaching of chemistry to evening scholars is almost 

 entirely under the Science and Art Department. 



VII. Recommendations of the Royal Commission on Technical Instruction 

 (Report 1884) affecting chemical teaching in public elementary schools. 



The Commissioners recommend — 



(a) That science be given a more favourable position under the 



code by a reduction of the number of ' class ' subjects to 

 two in the lower divisions of schools, one of which shall be 

 elementary science, including geography. 



(b) That school boards have power to establish, conduct, and 



contribute to science classes for young persons and artisans 

 under the Science and Art Department. 



(c) That the teaching under South Kensington be made more 



practical in the higher stages and be subject to more 

 thorough inspection ; that payment of fees be not necessarily 

 demanded from artisans, and that the building grants be not 

 limited to 500?. 



(d) That the teaching of science in training colleges be made more 



efficient and subject to better inspection, and that greater 

 facilities be given for the students to pass on to the Normal 

 School of Science or other place for higher scientific 

 instruction. 



