Elementary Education in British Guiana. 111 
revision of the Code in 1904, very little attention was paid to the meaning of 
what was read and, only in the highest standard, was composition even 
nominally required. The greatex part of the time was devoted to Arithmetic. 
This was necessary, asit is the subject to which the Inspector of Schools parti- 
cularly turns his attention, as it is most easily examined and deficiencies most 
easily detected. The Arithmetic, though it is fairly advanced, does not 
in the case of most of the children, even in those who pass, denote much mental 
training. It is, by great efforts of the teacher, in most cases so drilled into the 
children that they do the sums by rule of thumb without much intelligence. 
For the mental advancement of the children it would be an advantage, in my 
opinion, if the reading and literary side were increased and the Arithmetic 
diminished. Then some attention could be paid, to accustoming the children to 
speak more correctly. This cannot be done by teaching rules of Grammar, 
but by constant attention. 
There does not seem to be any really founded objection to the system of 
denominational schools as they exist. Nor can it be truly said that there is a 
true movement in favour of schools belonging exclusively to the Government. 
Such a movement to be genuine, should spring not from the teachers, who are 
looking to their personal advantage, nor from a few theorists and politicians, 
who are trying to raise a fictitious cry, but from the people, who demand such 
schools. There is no sign that such schools are demanded by any appreciable 
number of the people concerned. The parents are not cnly willing, but pleased 
to have religious teaching given to their children. The theorists above mention- 
ed contend, that if Government schools were established, devoted so'ely to 
secular education, the primary education of the colony would become more 
efficient at the same cost to the colony. We can test the probability of this 
result, by looking at the report of the Inspector of Schools in Trmidad, where 
two classes of schools exist. The following, from the Catholic News April 20, 
1912, shows how the Government schools compare in cost and efficiency, 
with the Denominational schools: “‘On the 3ist March, 1911, there 
“were 263 schools, 210 being Denominational schools and 53 Govern- 
“ment schools. The expenditure on the former was £83,883 and on 
‘the latter £11,530 5s. so that though the Denominational schools are 
“abort four times as numerous as the Government schools, and do the 
“same educational work, with the addition of religious auspices, they 
“cost proportionally muchless, than the latter. Each child in the 
“Government schools costs £1 19s. 103d., which is six shillings and ten- 
“pence above the costliest—and something like eight shillings above the aver- 
“ace—of the Denominational schools...... If the Government schools main- 
“tain the primary place as regards expense, and this in a more marked degree 
“ than in the preceding year, they certainly do not do so as regards educational 
“efficiency. The average percentage of passes in them is 81.9 while in the 
“Denominational schools it is 84.3.’’ So tbe result of the report is that in- 
Trinidad, where both classes of schools exist the Denominational schools pro- 
duce better results ata lesser cost. That religious instruction is not a hindiance 
to proficiency in the other subjects is shown also by the report of our own 
Inspector of Schools for 1910-1911 in which it appears that in the Roman 
