TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION L. 845 
This change led to an important reform, in which the Board has been greatly 
aided by the co-operation of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruc- 
tion, To this Department was transferred, in 1901, the administration of the 
Parliamentary vote for science and art in Ireland, which had been previously 
administered from South Kensington. As the Intermediate Board and the 
Department were dealing with practically the same schools, it was agreed to 
adopt a common programme in science subjects, and to carry out a common 
system of examination and inspection. 
The programme adopted under this arrangement, which includes two years of 
a preliminary course and two years more of advanced teaching in various special 
subjects, is fully set out in the paper. It involved, in effect, an entirely new 
departure in the teaching of experimental science in Ireland; substituting, to a 
large extent, practical work in the laboratory for the study of books, and testing 
the efficiency of schools by actual inspection of the work done, as well as by 
written papers. 
One of the chief difficulties encountered in the introduction of this new system 
was to provide a supply of competent teachers. This task was taken up by the 
Department, as the training of teachers does not fall within the functions of the 
Intermediate Board. The plan adopted was twofold. First, summer classes for 
teachers were held at various centres; and teachers who attend these classes, and 
afterwards satisfy the examiners, obtain provisional certificates to teach the course 
in which they have been so trained. This is only a temporary expedient, intended 
to meet the urgent need of the moment. 
But as the permanent element in their scheme the Department propose to grant 
the ‘Irish Teacher's Science Certificate’ to all students who pass through a three 
years’ course, prescribed for the purpose, in the Royal College of Science, Dublin. 
They will also recognise as qualitied teachers students who have followed a similar 
course in any university or technical college, and who haye obtained the corre- 
sponding degree or diploma. 
The next difficulty was the want of laboratories and laboratory equipment. 
This difficulty has been met by the cordial and very remarkable co-operation of 
the schools and the local authorities with the efforts made by the Department 
and the Intermediate Education Board. The Department designed plans to suit 
the circumstances of each particular school, and prescribed the necessary apparatus 
to be provided. Then loans were advanced by the Intermediate Board, and grants 
were made by the Department to help the schools to meet the cost of building 
and equipment, ‘The county and borough councils also lent their aid in many 
cases, by allocating to the same purpose a portion of the funds placed at their 
disposal for technical education. The result has been that 214 schools are now 
provided with all that is needed for the two years’ instruction of the preliminary 
course; and many of these are further provided with the equipment prescribed 
for one or more years of the special courses, 
The new system now embraces all the secondary schools of the country, about 
250 in number, with a school population of about 20,000 pupils. Of these 20,000 
pupils, somewhat more than 9,000 were under instruction in the preliminary 
course during the school year 1903-4, and about 1,500 in one or more of the 
special subjects. This represents a very satisfactory progress, in what is practically 
a new line of study, within the short period of four years. 
It is encouraging to hear that the subject of experimental science, taught on 
the new lines, is popular both with teachers and pupils. I am informed that a 
large number of pupils have developed quite a remarkable taste for laboratory 
work, and that many who had been regarded as dull and inert in other studies, 
have shown themselves alert and bright in this new field of nature knowledge 
that has been opened to them. 
