1925-1926-1927 - Department of Education and Skills

33expect when the circumstances of many of them are considered.I learn from the conductors of the city schools that the middaymeal provided from public funds is a great boon. I have noticedthe increased vitality of the pupils after they have partaken of it,and I think the afternoon instruction would be largely unproductiveif it were not for the meal provided.Attendance.-The attendance has improved considerably since1/1/'27, when the Compulsory Attendance Act was put intooperation. It is most marked in the country schools. In some cityehools the limited accommodation has resulted in the exclusion ofsome applicants for admission, but it is to be hoped that therewill be accommodation for all when the new schools which are incourse of erection are ready Ito admit pupils.Teachers.-l\Iost of the teachers engaged in the ordinaryprimary schools are trained. A large proportion of those engagedin monastery schools in the primary departments of the ChristianBrothers' schools and the recent appointments in Convent a-tional Schools are similarly qualified. The Brothers engaged inthe primary schools have had a course of training in their TrainingCollege at Marino.A large number of students who have been trained in recentyears have had the advantage of a Secondary School educationbefore they entered the Training Colleges.Proficiency.-Some of my colleagues report a falling off in theproficiency in certain subjects, and state that English Compositionin particular needs more systematic teaching than is generallybrought to bear on it, and that Spelling is a weak subject in aconsiderable number of schools. It has also been reported to methat there is a falling off in such subjects as Arithmetic andGeography in certain districts, and that while the focussing ofattention on the home country has tended to develop the pupils'national outlook, no effort has been made to touch on the economicside of Irish life, even in a simple way, in connection with theday's lessons.As regards Arithmetic, the results obtained are very often notcommensurate with the time spent on the teaching of the subject,largely because the oral teaching is not effectively done. Thetext bOOKSin Arithmetic give considerable help, but they need toba §uPlJlemented hy the tCl1rh r'R own experience. Until t~eteacher makes a practice of noting in what respects the pupilsfail and shapes his teaching so as to deal with the causes offailure, and schools himself into the frame of mind which isnecessary to deal effectively with such failure, he will continue tohave disappointing results. I notice that in the Standards above5th much of the failure is due to two causes-(i.) excessiverelianceon paper work, whereby a lot of time is spent in arriving at incorrectresults, (ii.) insufficient use of symbols. If symbols were