ON THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. 



569 



the only incentive offered by the Government, and the new regulation 

 •will tend to diminish tbe study of science at all. Your Committee also 

 lay much stress upon the continuous training of the mind by scientific 

 study during the whole period of apprenticeship, instead of cramming up 

 simply for a pass at the close. Marks will also be given now ' to candi- 

 dates who shall present University Extension certificates awarded by the 

 University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the Victoria Univer- 

 sity, and the Universities Joint Board of the London Society for the 

 Extension of University Teaching, provided that the certificates shall have 

 been awarded (after examination) during the year preceding the Queen's 

 Scholarship Examination on a course of study including not less than 

 twenty-four lectures and classes (of which the candidates must have 

 attended not less than twenty) in one of the following subjects,' amongst 

 which are specified ' geology, astronomy, meteorology.' It appears, how- 

 ever, to be a hardship that some subjects in which Extension lecture 

 certificates can be gained should be excluded, e.g., that a pupil teacher 

 attending lectures and doing practical work in chemistry cannot make 

 use of the certificate so obtained in passing the Queen's Scholarship 

 examination. 



In the preceding report of your Committee it was pointed out that 

 evening schools had made great progress, in consequence of greater 

 liberty having been given in the choice of subjects — a matter which your 

 Committee had strongly advocated in former years. This development 

 has since assumed still larger proportions, as will be seen by the following 

 table. It should be borne in mind, however, that the Government returns 

 do not show how many of these passes are made in scientific subjects. 



Evening Scholars taking Additional or Special Subjects. 



It was pointed out in the last report that the schemes for instruction 

 in scientific subjects given in the Code for 1892 were unsuitable, as they 

 were constructed on the assumption that evening scholars would go 

 through a course extending over seven years. The Code has been 

 entirely remodelled this year, and from every point of view it presents 

 great improvements upon all preceding regulations. The new ideas con- 

 templated by the Committee of Council on Education are indicated in the 

 change of name to ' Evening Continuation Schools,' which are no longer 

 restricted by any age limit, adults of any age being now recognised as 

 scholars. Individual examination, which has always been deterrent to 

 the elder students, is now entirely abolished, and the grants payable by 

 the Government will be assessed on the result of inspection without 

 notice, at which observation of the manner in which the lessons are given 

 will be an important factor in judging the merit of the school. This 

 alteration will of itself greatly conduce to the more intelligent handling 

 of the subjects taught, and to the formative character of the work. 



