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The public schools of British Columbia are free, nonsectarian, and supported entirely by provincial grants, excepting the schools of incorporated cities and towns (at present four in number-Nanaimo, New Westminster, Vancouver, and Victoria). The members of the provincial executive council constitute a council of public instruction; the chief officer of education and ex-officio secretary of the council is the superintendent, appointed by the lieutenant-governor with the concurrence of the council. The council has power under the school lawto create school districts, which must, however, in each case include not less than 20 children of school age (that is, between 6 and 16); * to set apart in every school district such a quantity of the waste lands of the Crown as in the opinion of the council may be necessary for school purposes in the district; with the sanction of the lieutenant-governor, to grant, on the application of the school trustees of any school district, such moneys as may be required to pay the salary of the teacher in such school district; in rural districts to defray the cost of erecting a schoolhouse or providing a house or room within which the public school of such district may be held. the cost of all furniture and apparatus necessary for the use of any school, and the current expenses connected therewith; * * to appoint two or more examiners, who, with the superintendent, constitute a board of examiners to examine teachers and grant certificates of qualification; to appoint inspectors to visit the public schools and report to the superintendent of education as to their condition and progress, and, in general, to make all rules and regulations for the conduct of the public schools.

The council is also empowered:

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To establish a normal school, with model or practice departments, and to establish a high school or collegiate institute in any school district where it may be expedient so to do, wherein the higher branches may be taught, and every such high school or collegiate institute shall be under the control of the local board of trustees for the district within which such high school or collegiate institute is situate: Provided, however, That no high school or collegiate institute shall be established in any district in which there are less than 20 persons duly qualified and available to be admitted as high-school or collegiate-institute pupils.

Each school is controlled locally by school trustees. In each rural district three school trustees are elected by the people. City school districts are of three classes. The first class includes "all incorporated cities and towns wherein the average actual daily attendance of pupils attending public schools equals or exceeds 1,000 for the school year;" the second class includes "all incorporated cities and towns wherein the average actual daily attendance of pupils attending public schools falls below 250, but does not exceed 999 for the school year;" the third class "includes all incorporated cities and towns wherein the average actual daily attendance of pupils attending public schools falls below 250 for the school year." Each city school district elects a board of trustees comprising seven members for cities of the first class, five members for cities of the second class, and three members for cities of the third class.

In all incorporated cities and towns the salaries of the teachers employed in the public schools are fixed and paid at the discretion

of the school trustees of the said cities and towns, respectively, and such salaries and all other expenses for the purchase and lease of school sites, erection, enlargement, or rent of school buildings, for furniture and repairs, and all other incidental expenses whatsoever incurred by the board of trustees in the respective cities and towns are borne and paid by the municipal corporations of the said cities and towns, respectively.

Incorporated cities and towns provide the funds for the public schools within their borders, but "a per capita grant of $13 for cities of the first class, $15 for cities of the second class, and $20 for cities and towns of the third class per annum, based on the average actual daily attendance of the public school pupils," is allowed from the provincial treasury.

Cities in which a high school is in operation receive also from the provincial treasury the additional sum of $300 for "each high-school teacher employed during the entire school year (or proportionately for the number of months such teachers have been respectively employed): Provided, Such high-school building and its equipment be satisfactory to the council of public instruction."

The public schools are classified as common or ungraded schools (i. e.. rural schools), graded schools (in cities and towns), and high schools.

From the foregoing outline of the system of public instruction it will be seen that the law has been framed to meet the exigencies of a new country, and at the same time to impose due responsibility upon settled prosperous communities.

The execution of the school law is naturally attended with peculiar difficulties in the remote and sparsely settled districts, but there are not wanting signs of vigorous growth, especially in the cities and incorporated towns.

The following statistics show the present status of the schools in comparison with earlier conditions:

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1878

1888

1898

1899

1900 1901

Educational statistics of British Columbia, 1878-1901.-Continued.

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By the school law of 1877 public education in Prince Edward Island was placed under the control of a board of education composed of the members of the executive council, the chief superintendent of education, the principal of the college and normal school, and two inspectors. The interests of the public schools are thus thoroughly represented in the board. For the local control of the schools the Province is divided into school districts in charge of trustees annually elected by the taxpayers of the respective districts. The schools are supported by provincial grant, which yields about 78 per cent of the income, and district assessments, which provide the remaining 22 per cent.

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The system of public schools in the Northwest Territories is under the control of a council of public instruction comprising 4 members of the executive committee and 4 appointed members, of whom 2 must be Protestants and 2 Roman Catholics. The appointed members have no vote, their duties being purely advisory. A school district must not exceed in area 25 square miles, and must contain not less than 4 resident taxpayers (property tax) and at least 12 children of school age. Each district elects school trustees, who manage the local school affairs.

The support of the schools is derived from the provincial grant and local taxes. The former is distributed among the schools on the basis of (1) average attendance, at the rate of $1.50 per capita; (2) number of days in session, at the rate of $1.40 a day for a term not to exceed two hundred and ten days; (3) the graded certificate held by the teacher, 10 or 20 cents a day for an annual term of two hundred and ten days, and (4) the grade assigned to the school on the report of the government inspector, at not less than 5 cents nor more than 15 cents a day for an annual session not exceeding two hundred and ten days.

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a Government grant.

b Quebec Seminary (ecclesiastical organization) defrays all expenses. The Quebec branch has 358 students; the remainder are connected with the Montreal branch. d Acres of land.

eThe classical colleges in Quebec are a combination of school and college, attended by both boys and young men. They confer certain degrees, and are mostly affiliated with Laval University. It not being possible to separate them, the pupils in these colleges are counted twice over, viz, in this table and in the one in the preceding table.

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EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN NEWFOUNDLAND.

The following account of the system of education in Newfoundland is cited from an article by Mr. George Milligan, M. A., LL. D., superintendent of Methodist schools.@

The present educational system of Newfoundland was fully introduced by education acts 1874 and 1876, which rendered it completely denominational, and provided for separate denominational schools, which, however, should be public schools, and restricted in their operation by a conscience clause. Both Roman Catholics and Episcopalians had declared in favor of subdivision, and Methodists somewhat reluctantly complied with their arrangement, as justice was done to all religious bodies by giving to all alike education grants per capita. By the 1874 act $40,000 were provided for schoolhouses and school property and arrangements made for subdivision of property on an equitable basis, which was in due course accomplished without difficulty. By the 1876 act $88,251.92 were provided for all purposes, which amount has been increased from time to time according to increase in population, etc., till it has reached a total of $149,585.19 per year, besides $4,000 for purposes of the council of higher education.

These grants provide $90.251.65 for general purposes, $4,000 to aid poor districts, $5,297.57 to encourage on certain conditions, involving hearty cooperation, the maintenance of superior schools, $9,565.29 to sustain colleges, $25,297.87 for the

a Published in volume 4 of the Special Reports on Education, issued by the Board of Education, England.

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