50 {in addition to the usual literary subjects), and practical work in the school garden, as well as a certain amount of manual training. On the other hand the scheme of work for the urban schools gives an industrial bias and colouring to the teaching by -comprising lessons on materials, machines and manufactures (in addition to the usual literary subjects), as well as a large amount of training in manual occupations. A competent inspector for rural teaching, and also one for manual training, have been appointed to guide the teaching and see that it progresses on the lines desired. The manual work, whether in the school workshops or in the school garden, is not intended to lit the pupils to become carpenters or metal-workers or farmers, but rather to be a means of mental training. It aims at developing the minds of the pupils through instruments other than books. Actual experience of the work in the schools has fully justified this method. Close observation of the pupils has shown not only that they become dexterous, neat and exact in the manual work, and take great interest and delight in it, but that the manual training reaets on their book-work, in which as a ]’esult tliey show surprising intelligence, much in advance of the level reached in the primary schools. Nine former pupils from the Ministry’s school have recently been appointed to posts as laboratory assistants, and most favourable reports have been received as to their intelligence and handiness. An inteiesting issUe of this experiment is that wood-work is about to be introduced as a voluntary subject into one of the most important of the Government secondary schools.

In the girls’ higher elementary schools, in view of the shorter period that is generally available for a girls’ education in Egypt, the course is limited to three years. The instruction in the girls’ schools is also given a very practical bias; more than one-third of each week’s time-table is devoted to domestic training (needle-work, cookery, laundry work, housewifery, household accounts and home hygiene).

The Ministry of Education maintains two elementary training colleges for men teachers, and two for women teachers, attended by 2G1 men and 447 women. The Provincial Councils maintain 13 colleges for men and 9 for women, attended by 1,020 men and 381 women. The staff of these colleges has in recent years been considerably improved. It is obvious that the general spread of elementary education implies a large increase of trained teachers, and the Elementary Education Commission in its report recommends that the Ministry of Education should take over the rcsiionsibility for meeting this need. The Ministry is already taking tentative steps in this direction.

30. Primary Education. During the first years of the war there was a falling olT in the numbers in the boys’ primary schools, but since 1918 the numbers have notably increased and several of'the Government schools are now full, and even overcrowded. The attendance is now 8,609 as compared with 6,407 in 1914 and 6,197 in 1915. A considerable improvement has been effected in the teaching staff of the Government schools in the last few years. Religious instruction continues to be given simultaneously to Moslems and Copts during the last hour of the school day by teachers of their own faith on the regular staff of the school. It is com]mlsory for Moslems and optional for Copts.

The Provincial Councils maintain 34 primary schools attended by 3,964 boys. These schools are regularly visited by inspectors of the Ministry of Education. The Council schools are in general below the level of the Government schools in efliciency, buildings and equipment. The Councils are handicapped by the fact that the best teachers prefer to enter Government service.

The Ministry of Education has also under inspection 60 private primaiy schools, attended by 10,179 pupils. These schools arc in general inferior to the Council schools as they labour under the further disadvantage of inadequate financial resources. As it is not considered desirable to encourage the multiplication of primary schools where there is little prosppet of the pupils continuing their education beyond that stage, these schools receive no grant-in-aid.

The primary education certificate examination was abolished in 1916, as it had ceased to have any value as a qualification for admission to the Government service.

It was replaced by an entrance examination to secondary schools.

31. Secondary Education. Since 1914 the number of Government seconda-ry schools has increased from six to seven; but the attendance has fallen from 2,637 tc 2,525. The schools suffered con.siderably during the war owing to budgetary economies, loss of English staff, and transfer to improvised premises, and it can scarcely be a matter for surprise that there was some falliiig off in efficiency. The decline in numbers is to be attributed to House of Commons Parliamentary Papers Online. Copyright (c) 2006 ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.