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any complete list of books to be authorized for use in the public schools. had been issued from time to time and pub- lished in the newspapers. Visitors of schools and the teachers had no other official com- munication of the Board’s commands in mat- ters of curriculum, and often, wilfully or oth— erwise continued to use books which had been forbidden or replaced. The secretary of the Board had no particular powers, his duties were chiefly mechanical.

The Board had made no attempt to intro— duce better methods in the country schools. In reference to Charlottetown it had indeed used its position to urge upon the govern— ment the closing of the existing schools and the erection of four suitable buildings each of several apartments to admit of the grad- ing and classification of the pupils. Failing to receive any reply they had at another time suggested the amalgamation of three schools into one to be opened in the present kinder- garten building with three apartments. \Vhen after four months’ delay the gov- ernment had sent a reply refusing to take action, a later committee had again urged the erection of new buildings, but again the government had done nothing. Despite this interest in the city schools amid all this dis- couragement, they showed little concern in those of the country districts. The reports of the school visitors for the year 1875 though in their hands for four months past had not been considered, not even read, though they were known to tell of gross ir- regularities in curriculum, apathy, deficiency in attendance, miserable teaching, and gen- eral neglect. The number of vacant schools in Queens county alone had increased in the previous year by thirty-seven. If the schools were to be maintained there should be in- creased salaries to teachers and a clause in

Partial lists ,

PAST AND PRESENT OF

the law calling for compulsory attendance. If standards were to be kept up, the Board should no longer be satisfied with the mere examination for teachers’ licenses but should prescribe a course of training in the Normal School and a curriculum through which all candidates for license should pass. The grammar schools were not doing their work, were in fact only expensive forms of the elementary schools. The Board had opened many of them, but had taken no care to see that they did advanced work. The Normal School was a good secondary and primary school, whose .energies were taken up with the number of pupils who attended it to the discomforture of the students who were present for training preparatory to teach— ing. In that year seventy-nine pupils were enrolled in the two senior departments of this school along with forty-one teachers in training. In fact so far had the Normal School ceased to be a normal school, that only those candidates for license who could not escape it attended; the Board gave no reward nor punishment for training or the lack of it. The Board of Education was too large to act as a body and could not admin- ister whilst its powers were so diffused. A superintendent ought to be appointed by whom all the authority of the Board might be exercised and the provisions of the law carried into effect.

The Board of Education reporting to the government for the year 1876, set forth the many defects of the educational system and strongly advised new legislation that would give to the executive control and direction of the system. The Board of Education should be reduced in number, and should have con- trol of the whole educational system of the province, which it should administer through a Superintendent of Education assisted by