GUPPY — EDUCATION. 
313 
that the exaction of fees can be really made compulsory. In 
1885 at the request of Government I made some special reports 
on the question of school fees. On Sir A. Havelock’s leaving 
the island, he left these reports to be dealt with by Sir William 
■ Robinson, who, 'on their perusal proposed the abolition of school 
fees. In these reports I made various suggestions as to ways 
and means of making up the supposed loss which would result 
from the abolition of the compulsory exaction of school fees. 
Rut a prolonged examination and consideration of the subject 
cleaviy showed that not only would the supposed loss be a gain, 
but that a far larger revenue could be obtained from school fees 
by the adoption of the principles I laid down, and which had 
been partially carried into operation under my recommenda- 
tions in Port-of-Spain and San Fernando. Notwithstanding 
that I made these (and indeed several other points), quite clear 
to Sir William Robinson ; this and other obnoxious features of 
our educational regulations were retained. 
To this part of the question I may recur later, but now I pro- 
pose to show where the injury to the school work by the com- 
pulsory exaction of fees in all schools comes in. In the first 
place the injury to the teacher’s work is very great for in order 
to collect a matter of one-tenth or even less ot the cost of 
education, he has to devote at least one-half his energies to the task 
of collecting small sums of money from his scholars. It can readily 
be seen that this is' most harassing to the teacher and injurious 
to his own proper work, which is teaching and not the collec 
tion ofTnd accounting for revenue 
be and often is tendered at all times, m season an, I out > of sea, ,on 
and which he must receive whenever a 
tender it. Further in some parts of the s > fflf th jj| ir p r0(JucP) 
have cash at that time of Vj£ h f the year the children are 
and, consequently, at all other tun monevt0 pay the school fees, 
kept at home because there is X upo/tha Government 
The brunt of this difficulty of corns < I collected, 
schools because in them the ^^f feasu^v and the/ must except 
for they have to be paid into ® Relatives of the children for 
in rare instances be paid by the case of assisted schools, 
there is no one else to pay them. f ees j n these, not hav- 
it is different, for the payment oi Jodte^s ^ ^ be nl!M , e 
ing to be accounted for to P« 1 ' h ’ com p U ]sory exaction 
a bar to the attendance of children, m toe Mon . 
of fees by law is an incentive to ' = when it is not, if 
day is often a holiday in this is ‘ t - c hild stays away from 
the cash is not at hand on that mornmg, ^ J ^ 
school. On Tuesday moinin 0 paying for a whole 
parent or child says, “0 tvhat js the good PJ f 
