Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/307

* NATIONAL EDUCATION. 265 NATIONAL EDUCATION. courses of stiiily in the riiduwt'cl si'liouls. (See K.NDowED Schools Acts.) The I'uhlii- Seliools Act of 1S08 revised the control anil orf^aiiization of seven great public boarding schools of England. In 1894 a commission was appointed which in the following year reported an elaborate scheme for the national organization of .secondary instruc- tion, but so far no legislation has taken place as a result of this. Wales and Jlonmouthshire have a system of inspection of secondary schools. One of the main purposes of the act of 1902 was the support of secuiidary education by public money. The educatiim authorities are authorized to consider within their areas the needs of sec- ondary education and to take such steps as seem to them desirable, after consulting the Board of Education, to supply or aid in the supply of such instruction. For this purpose the county authorities are empowered to raise a county rate of twopence in the pound, a sum that may be increased with the consent of the Local Govern- ment Board. Tliis ineasurc is calculated to i-en- der far more efl'ective and comprehensive the sec- ondary schools under Government control that were initiated by the science and art department. The Scotch have had a public elementary sys- tem since 1090, when it was ordained that a school should be established in every parish where one was not in existence. The masters were elected by the landowners and the min- isters, and held their places for life or good behavior. The act was amended in 1803 so as to require the salaries of masters to be raised, and in ISUl their examination for the right to teach was transferred from the control of the presby- teries to that of the universities. In the mean- time considerable support was granted to the schools from the Government. Among other changes, the English School Code of 1861 was ap- plied in Scotland, but was withdrawn. In 1872 an elementary education act like the English one was passed. The Scotch law is the better of the two, however, school lioards being created in every parish, and the practical control of all elementary schools being given to them. In 189.3, after several movements in that direction, all children between three and fifteen years of age wei'e freed from school fees in the pviblic ele- mentary schools. Education is compulsory for children between five and fourteen years of age. The Government grants to Scotch voluntary and board schools are, in general, similar to those in England, but only about one-eiglith of the elementary schools are voluntary. For the training of elementary teachers, denominational colleges had made their appearance before 18.39. These have been aided by Government grants, and at present over four-fifths of the male and tw'o-thirds of the female teachers have graduated therefrom. The English pension act of 189S was extended to Seolland. The secondary instruction in Scotland is in the hands of five classes of schools: burgh schools, academies, parochial schools, mixed bnrgli and parochial schools, and four puhli(' boarding schools like those of England. The burgh schools are supported either by endowment or by burgh funds. They are under the control nf the authorities of the burgh and open to the community. l^iitil 1861 the presbyteries con- trolled them, but at that date this power was transferred to the town councils, and in 1872 to the school boards. These bodies fix the fees. The academies arose in the middle uf the eigh- teenth century as a result of a demand for more economical and scientific instruction. In most cases they came ultimately under the joint con- trol of town councils and proprietors. In 1892 Government grants were made to secondary schools, and their inspection was provided for. For the universities of Great Britain, see Uni- versity. For a further treatment of the English edu- cational system, see Great Britain, section on Education. HOLLAND. The State school system in Holland includes public primary schools, normal schools and cour.ses, burgher schools, higher burgher schools, or secondary schools proper, agricultural schools, and various professional institutions, together with gymnasia, and three State universities. A few of the primary schools are maintained solely by the general Government. Jlost of them are communal, but a considerable portion of the fund for their sup])ort conies from the State. Private primary schools are also subsidized by the Government, in case they maintain proper- standards. The primary school system includes, in addition, repetition and evening schools, and both types are maintained by the same agencies and methods as the primary schools in general. So, too, the normal scliools are either Government schools, or communal schools with subsidies, or private schools with similar support. The State normal .schools, however, give instruction to the majority of the students taking such courses. The higher burgher schools were, in 1894-95, 01 in number. Of these 20 were maintained by the Government, 28 were subsidized communal schools, 12 were communal schools without sub- sidies, and one a Roman Catholic institution. Of the 29 city gymnasia, 25 are subsidized by the State. It will be seen, therefore, that the policy of Holland is to subsidize such private and local schools as conform to its require- ments in character of instruction and qualifica- tions of teachers, and to found State schools only to supplement and complete the work of these agencies. The history of this school system will serve to explain these peculiarities, and also to make somewhat clearer the comjilexities of the system itself. In 1784, a 'Society of Public Good' was fdunik'd at Groningcu by .John Nieurenliuy.sen. Its object was to promote elementary education : and in this it was successful, receiving help from the Government. In ISOO an education law of great importance was passed. It consisted essen- tially of provisions for inspecting schools and examining and certificating teachers. School di.s- tricts were organized, over each of which an in- spector was placed, Avhose consent was requisite before any one could teach or be a menibev of a school committee. The ins])ectors received for their .services only an allowance for their expenses. A principal duty was that of examining teachers for certificates. The provincial and communal ad- ministrations were urged by the Government to provide the means of instruction in their locali- ties, to insure a comfortable subsistence for teach- ers, and to obtain a regular attendance of chil- dren in the schools. Free schools for the poor were, as a result, established in the towns and in the villages, schools to which the poor were