Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1018

 862

GERMAN EMPIRE : — PRUSSIA

or to send them to one of these elementary schools, in which all fees are now abolished. No compulsion exists in reference to a higher educational institution than elementary schools, but parents who send moi^e than one child to any school supported by the community have, in many cases, a reduction made in the charge, and a limited number of pupils whose parents cannot afford to pay the full rate either enjoy this reduction or are admitted entirely free, at the discretion of the authorities.^ The school age is from 6 to 14 years, and the number of children of that age in 1896 was returned at 5,654,918,

The following table gives the educational statistics of Prassia : —

No.

Teaching

Students or

Staff

Pupils

Universities (1897-98) ^.

11

1,589

19,134

Gymnasia andProgymnasia (1896-97)*

325

5,537

93,052

Realgymnasia, Realprogymnasia, and

Higher Realschulen (1896-97)*.

173

2,584

47,826

Realschulen (1896-97)*.

78

1,128

24,182

PubUc elementary schools (1896)

36,138

82,182

5,236,826

Private ,, ,, ,,

404

17,876

Middle schools (public), ,

604

5,645

143,097

„ (private)

1,099

82,400

Public normal schools (1897).

126

929

11,782

2 Winter half year.

The number of elementary schools in Prussia m 1822 was 20,440 ; in 1843, 23,646 ; in 1864, 25,056 ; in 1878, 32,613 ; in 1891, 34,742 ; and in 1896, 36,138.

There are also 3 technical high schools, 2 forestry schools, 2 technical mining schools, 2 agricultural high schools, agricultural institutes connected with universities, 2 veterinary high schools, 264 other schools for various aspects of agriculture, besides other special schools and State establishments for art and music.

The Universities, all the high schools, some of the Gymnasia, Real- gymnasia, and similar schools, as also all the normal schools, are maintained and administered by the Government, while all the other scholastic institutions are supported by the community, under control of the Government. (For number of professors, teachers, and students at each of the Universities of Prussia, see under German Empire. )

The whole of the educational establishments in Prussia are under the

control of the Minister of Public Instruction and Ecclesiastical Affairs, but

there is a local supervision for every province. The administration of each of

these, as far as regards the licgicrungs-Bezirke, is vested in a President, who

is the head of the Civil Government [Recjierung) ; while the management ot

the higher (secondary) schools and the normal schools belongs to the Provincial

Schul-Collegium, under the supervision of the Oberprasident, who is the head

1 The system of secondary education coninioji to Prussia and tlie rest of Germany is (^escribed on p. 537.