41 293 supervision ot' elemeutaiy and industrial (including agricultural) education, it is intended to liand over to these bodies the provincial elementary schools at present under the direct control of the Government. The special task of the Councils in regard to these estahlishments will be to increase and improve the existing school accommolation, to assure adequate equipment and a competent teaching staff, and to meet local needs by the co-ordination of public and private effort within the province. Grants, in connection ■with a system of departmental insiDection, will still he given from the State budget to vernacular and industrial schools, and the Ministry of Education will assist the Councils in all technical matters such as the preparation of courses of study and plans of buildings, and will, so far as is practicable, place the services of their inspector. at the disposal of the local education committees. One of the chief evils of the present time is the creation in one locality of superffuous schools, in competition with already existing establishments working on precisely similar lines, AAdiile the needs of another are neglected. To avoid this waste of energy, co-operation is essential, both between the Ministry and the Councils, and between the latter and the various private agencies already in existence for the promotion of education.

In mdast two reports I mentioned the steps which are being taken to increase the amount of teaching given in the vernacular. The use of a foreign language as the medium of instruction can only be defended as a temporary expedient to tide over the period of transition until all teaching is in Arabic. In the primary scliools the cliange has already been accomplished, and all matters are now learnt in the language of the countiy. In the secondary schools, the lessons, Avitli the exception of Arabic itself, were formerly given in English or French, but since 1907 mathematics are being t-uight in Arabic, and it is proposed to transform gradually the teaching of other subjects in a similar manner. It is, therefore, of the first importance that not only the European inspectors of the Department but also the European teaching staff, Avho may he required to teach in Arabic and to act as examiners at the public examinations, should possess a thorough knowledge of the languag«j, and every inducement is held out to encourage tliem to become proficient in it.

The elementary examination in Arabic, originally instituted in 1897, is now compulsory, with few exceptions, for all European teachers, and until it has been passed, they cannot be contirmed in their appointments or receive a rise of pay. Moreover, -two further examinations have been instituted, the Advanced and the Honours, which are optional, but entitle successful candidates to prizes of ;£E. 50 and £E. 100 respectively. Since the scheme was introduced, 154 Europeans have passed the elementary, 13 the advanced, and one the honours examination. The small number of successful candidates in the higher examinations is in great measure due to the difficulty of securing capable teacliers, combined with the expense of a long course of study, and in order to remove this obstacle, free classes for instruction in Arabic have recently been formed. These classes have been well attended, and will no doubt in process of time add greatly to the usefulness of those who have knowm how to profit by them.

46. Educational Expenditufe, The estimated expenditure on education for 191U is £E. 505,000j and the real Increase in the budget as comjjared with that of last year amounts to £E. 27,000. Of this sum about £E. 6,000 is allotted to the Department of Agriculture and Technical Educarlon for further graiits-in-aid to private industrial schools, increase of staff' in the schools and Avorkshops, and improvement of salaries. The remaining £E. 21,000 is devoted to other branches of the Ministry’s work: about £E. 9,000 is expended on providing further facilities for training Egyptian teachers; the school for Kadis, which will not attain its full development until 1911, requires over £E. 3,600 for extensions this year; nearly £E. 2,000 is devoted to the development of elementary vernacular education; the growth in the number of candidates at the public examinations is responsible for an increase of £E. 2,000 ; £E. 2,600 is allotted to increasing the salaries of the technical staff, while £E. 3,000 is required for the general expenses of the schools.

In addition to the ordinary expenditure, special credits amounting to £E. 27,500 have been granted for non-recurrent expenditure during 1910. They include £E.16,000 for the reconstruction of the primary schools at Beni Souef and Keneh, which are both in a very dilapidated condition, and £E. 8,000 as a first instalment towards the construction of a girls’ school at Alexandria.

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