Position of Belfast in Relation to Technical Instruction. 51 



Although elementary teaching will be excluded from the 

 proposed technical institution, the elementary schools under 

 the National Education Commissioners must not be altogether 

 overlooked in our technical scheme. When the national 

 education scheme was drafted in 1838 it was far in advance of 

 an educational system in Britain, and it was intended to be 

 technical in its character, but sectarian conflicts eliminated 

 that important element from our national system of industrial 

 education. This form of technical instruction should be 

 restored. The late Commission had recommended its renewal, 

 and in future technical instruction would be encouraged so as 

 to prepare the young pupils for the next step in the technical 

 institutions of the county boroughs, our National schools 

 would then be helpful auxiliaries to the central institution ; 

 their students at entrance to the Technical College would no 

 doubt be tested by examination, and classed accordingly* 

 Scholarships may be founded for competition among the 

 National school pupils preparing to enter the Technical 

 Institute, and also scholarships to enable advanced pupils of the 

 Technical Institute to go forward to the technical branch of 

 the Queen's College, the Royal University, and the Royal 

 College of Science in Dublin. 



Evening continuation classes should be promoted in connection 

 with our National schools, and to this end, as well as to supply 

 the necessary school accommodation now required for Belfast, 

 Mr. Gray advocated the opening of four National schools in 

 Belfast under the Technical Committee to become models for 

 their respective localities, if not for the whole country. These 

 would be evening as well as day schools, and they may be further 

 used as branch Libraries. These should be properly equipped, 

 and officered by a staff of qualified teachers enabled to discharge 

 their professional duties untrammelled by clerical obligations. 

 Mr. Gray in conclusion referred to the fosterage laws of ancient 

 Ireland that provided for certain forms of technical instruction, 

 then the native Irish were disposed to induFtry, and skilled in 

 workmanship, qualities that may be revived with great advan- 



