First Century After the Expulsion 89 
     
    
   
   
    
     of the district school taxes or the enrolment fees which the teachers 
     
     were allowed to charge their pupils. It was estimated that in 1842 the 
     
     government contribution only covered one-fifth of the teacher’s sal- 
     
     ary'*'. The responsibility for the construction and the maintenance of 
     
     the school lay entirely with the parents. 
     
    

    
     In 1852 important changes took place in the colony with regard 
     
     to education. The newly elected Liberal government passed a bill 
     
     making education more accessible to the general public. This legisla- 
     
     tion lead to the levying of a school tax on all the property owners in 
     
     a district which either had or wanted a public school. This locally 
     
     collected tax was only to be used for the construction, furnishing and 
     
     upkeep of school buildings'*?. The government took over the respon- 
     
     sibility of the salaries although they could be supplemented according 
     
     to the generosity of the ratepayers. Under the terms of the new law 
     
     school teachers could no longer charge tuition fees. Within two years 
     
     of the enactment of the law, the number of school children doubled 
     
     on the Island'**. We should mention, however, that school attendance 
     
     was not always compulsory and many parents kept their children at 
     
     home. 
     
    
   
   
    
     ACADIAN SCHOOLS 
     
    
   
   
    
     By 1830 Acadians were benefiting from the government subsidies 
     
     directed toward education. Joseph Arsenault from Egmont Bay re- 
     
     ceived a contribution of 7 pounds 10 shillings for his teaching that 
     
     year+, The following year the government voted for the first time a 
     
     sum of 36 pounds designated specifically for “worthy” teachers in 
     
     Acadian establishments. The act stipulated that no teacher could re- 
     
     ceive more than 6 pounds from this grant'**. The sum was later reduced 
     
     to 5 pounds per teacher which was less than the amount paid to 
     
     teachers in English schools in rural areas of the colony. In fact govern- 
     
     ment authorities regarded teachers in Acadian schools and the schools 
     
     themselves as both different and inferior because almost all the teach- 
     
     ing was done in French. In order to teach in this category of schools 
     
     a teacher did not have to have a certificate from the Board of Education. 
     
     Over the years, some schools run by Acadian teachers were promoted 
     
     to the level of first class schools if the teacher was deemed to be 
     
     qualified to teach English properly and if a significant number of his