Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/758

* EDUCATION. 660 EDUCATION. for the education of girls, it was provided that, upon request of parents, girls should be admitted. While the law met with no opposition so far as internal administration was concerned, to a great extent it proved inoperative; for there was little or no response on the part of the local committees, and out of SOO towns of the island, fewer than 20 made any attempt to efTect a local school organization. Nevertheless, as a result of the inlluence of the military authorities, within five months there were more schools in opera- tion than ever before, and a larger proportion of the school population receiving instruction. In June, 1807, there were 212 town schools and 313 country district schools in operation, with 426 country districts yet unprovided for. But out of a school population of 297,812 only 2!), 172 were enrolled, and 21,873 in actual attendance, leaving more than 2(i8,000 without school facilities. At the close of the following school year, however, the number of schools had risen to 800, of which 400 were in rural districts. These schools ac- commodated 0000 additional pupils. The Gen- eral Govenunent also supjilied all te.xt-hooks free of expense to pupils and local boards. More than 100 American teachers were employed in the schools, and half that many native teachers were sent to. the United States for the purpose of acquiring the language and some training in methods of instruction. Training and industrial schools have been established in the three most important cities. The greatest difficulty is the question of finan- cial support. The military autliorities raised the proportion of the public expenditures devoted to ■education from 6 to 12 per cent., but if the entire general revenue of the island had been appropri- ated for school work it would have been insuffi- cient to offer instruction to all the illiterate youth of the land. Only very gradual improve- ment can be expected if no outside assistance is given to the island. Cuba. The educational status of Cuba, at the time of the American inteiTcntion, was very simi- lar to that of the other S])anish dependencies. There existed an excellent legal system. vhiU> the actual conditions were very de|)loral)le. Such in- terest as exisled was in reference to higlier echica- tion, and admirable provisions were made for the more intelligent and wealthy classes. The I'ni- versity of Havana and a large number of second- ary schools under private or religious control had been attended by large numbers of this class. The yublic schools were nominally free, but really de- pended on the tuition of pupils, and consequently -nere ])atronized only by the well-to-do. The svstem in force in 1800 was based on the law of 18(.i as modilied by that ^f 1880. Every town of 500 inhabitants was required to s>ip|M)rt one elementary school for boys, and one, though incomplete, for girls; towns of 2000 inhabitants, two schools for boys and two for girls; and for every 2000 increase in pojiulation there was to be one additional school for each sex. This additional nimiber was to include private schools, tlunigh at least one-third of all schools nuist be jiublic. .Sec- ondary schools and kindergartens were ju'ovided for in cities of over 1000 population, and a normal school for the capital of each ])rovince. An ad- mirable c(nirse of study was prescribed, but its actual a<lministration and the text hooks used were tinder the inspection of the Catholic clergy. At- tendance on either public or private schools wa9 compulsory for all Spanish children from ti to 9; the teachers in public schools were to be Span- iards. However, the municipalities had ceased, if they had ever done so, to pay any particular atten- tion to these laws ; no funds were voted, teachers were not paid, and their meagre revenue was drawn largely from tuition. The per cent, of illiteracy imder the American census taken in 1800 was G3.9 jier cent. The latest Spanish school statis- tics were for the year 1803, two years previous to the outbreak of the last revolution. They show 3.5.000 children receiving instruction in the entire island in 808 schools. During the revolu- tion most of these schools ceased to exist, if they had ever existed before. Those outside of provincial capitals and garrisoned towns were closed by order of the Governor-tieneral. The autonomous Government issued an e<lict reestab- lishing the schools in 1808, but their actual con- dition remained nuich as it was througliout the revolution at that time until a year after the American occupation, though there were said to be about 200 schools with 4000 pupils throughotlt the whole island. On December 6, 1890, the American Military Governor issued an order reorganizing the ele- inentarj- and secondary school system of the island. It provided that there should be a board of education in each municipality, with the mayor as jiresident. who should appoint the other members, and that there shouUl be one public school for boys and one for girls in every town of ;jOO inhabitants, the number increasing with the size of the town. In smaller towns "incom- plete' schools were to be established. It also jirovided for compulsory attendance, for the pay- ment of tuition, for the insjiection and su[)erin- tcndence, for free te.xt-books, and other details. The course of study was prescribed by the super- intendent of schools. By March, lOOt), there were 3000 schools, with 3,")00" teachers and 130.000 ]iu- pils. In the fall of 1001 there were 2,")0.0l>0 puiiils, with almost 4000 teachers. Most of these chil- dren are in the first three grades, though a very small iHimber are far enough advanced for the work of the fourth and fifth grades. This fact indicates the delicient conditions existing before 1000. for the age of the pupil is no indication of his stage of advancement. One important phase of the American influence was the iiiiprov<'ment of the teaching body. .Sum- mer normal schools were founded, which for two years have furnished instruction to about 4000 teachers for a period of six weeks. During 1000 more than 1400 Cuban teachers attended the summer session of Harvard 1,'niversity, special provision having been made by that institution for their maintenaiu-e and instruction. Kecogniz- ing that permanent improvement must come from constant contact with more advanced sources outside the island, the Cuban Government is now .supporting sixty women teachers at the State Normal School at New I'altz. N. Y., with (he un- derstanding that these teachers are to continue their services in the jiublic schools for a term of years U]ion their return. This plan has been sc successful that it is now proposed to create thirty permanent scholarships of this character, the teachers to be chosen from all sections of the island for a two-year course. With a similar motive, the Cuban Educational Society, receiv-