128 TiMEHRI. 



afterwards promulgated, before a school received the 

 yearly *' grant. in aid of teachers' salaries," it was neces- 

 sary that it should be examined in the Inspe6lor's pres- 

 ence, and to his satisfa6lion. The grant was made 

 according to the average attendance, based on a scale 

 laid down in the Rules. Every teacher was expe6led 

 to be certified, but a special licence was granted to any 

 applicant who, in the opinion of the Inspe6lor, was 

 qualified to take charge of a schodl. The patron (or 

 patrons) gave religious instru6lion at certain times 

 specified on the time-table ; but parents had the option 

 of detaining their children at home during these hours. 

 There were no provisions made against schools being 

 surrounded by insanitary influences, and the standards of 

 efficiency and subjedls to be taught were left entirely to 

 the patron or schoolmaster. Of course, the Board of 

 Education became dissatisfied at the slow progress made 

 by the scholars, and the evident rottenness of an educa- 

 tion system which consisted merely in the elaborate 

 preparation of a few answers for the annual show-days, 

 answers, in the majority of cases, little understood by the 

 scholars. Hence in the year 1869 the Court of Policy 

 was again asked to pass a new code which had for its 

 obje£l the fixing of the grants to schools, not merely on 

 a teacher's certificate qualifications and an examination 

 condu£led bv himself, but on the proficiency of the 

 children according to a progressive standard. All schools 

 were expe6led to pass 60 0/0 of the children in average 

 attendance in the three R's to secure a grant, and of this 

 60 0/0 of passes, 8 0/0 in the First Class (VI Standard 

 and upwards) placed a school in Class A, 10 0/0 from the 

 V Standard upwards in B, etc. But before the whole of 



