EDUCATION IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

FOREIGN EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS.

Wherever popular education has been accepted as a public trust permanent records of its condition and progress are maintained and official reports of the same published at regular or irregular intervals. By its system of exchange this office comes into possession of these reports, and a brief suminary of their contents has been a feature of its own annual report. As the chief particulars relating to elementary education may be grouped under the same heads for all countries, the effort is here made to reduce foreign information on this subject to tabular form as affording the most convenient and most impressive mode of representation. The educational statistics employed have been taken from the latest official reports received at this office, excepting when otherwise stated. On account of differences in the legal school age the ratio of school attendance to total population affords the only available basis for comparing the school attendance of different countries. Where the latest census antedates by several years the year of the school report, estimates of the whole population for a nearer date have been employed when attainable. The fact is indicated by a foot-note. Such estimates have been taken from the educational reports or from the Statesman's Year Book for 1887.

Comparatively few countries report the statistics of school population. In England and Scotland it is customary to include only six-sevenths of the population in estimating the number of children for whom provision should be made in State aided elementary schools. As the omission of one-seventh of the population in these estimates is misleading when the statistics are tabulated with those of other countries, the numbers showing the entire child population of the specified ages, as given in the official reports from those countries, are used in this table. Care has been taken to confine the table to the statistics of elementary schools, i. e., schools below the highschool grade, which are substantially the same for all countries. In a few instances the distinction is not clearly preserved in the original reports, and the totals of enrolment and teachers possibly include high schools. It is certain, however, that in these cases, which are few, the totals are not greatly affected thereby. A glance at the col-, umus setting forth the number of schools and the school enrolment will show that the word school, or its foreign equivalent, has various applications. It sometimes signifies the scholars in charge of one teacher and sometimes a collection of such bodies, forming a series of grades in one building,

In

The statistics of school population and enrolment in Hungary include the youth 6 to 15 years of age, which are accordingly given as the limits of the school age. fact attendance upon elementary schools in Hungary is obligatory from 6 to 12 years of age, inclusive, and upon the "review" or "continuation" schools from 12 to 15. The latter may be day, evening, or Sabbath schools. In them the branches pursued in the ordinary elementary schools are reviewed and somewhat extended.

The column of expenditure is the least satisfactory in the table, as it is known to involve different items for different countries. The only basis on which the cost of elementary education in different countries may be fairly compared appears to be that of teachers' salaries, the item common to all, viz, teachers' salaries. Unfortunately, as a rule, this is not separately reported. The totals, as given in the table, include, in addition to teachers' salaries, cost of supervision, incidentals, office expenses, &c. In no case, however, have the expenses for buildings or other permanent improvements been included. The best comparative view of expenditures would be afforded by distinct statements of teachers' salaries, cost of supervision, and incidentals. The hope is entertained that before the next report is issued the time and the information at the disposal of the office may suffice for the presentation of expenditure under these three heads.

In the following countries, represented in the table, the elementary schools are free schools: France, Italy, Switzerland, Algeria, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Argentine Republic, Chili, Ecuador, Victoria, Queensland, and New Zealand. In these the cost of elementary education is defrayed by State and local funds. In the remaining countries a portion of the cost is inet by tuition fees.

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TABLE 89.-Comparative statistics of elementary education in foreign countries-PART I.

Dr. Gautsch von Frankenthurn, minister of public instruction and ecclesiastical affairs.
Dr. August Trefort, minister of public instruction and ecclesiastical affairs.
Monsieur Thonissen, minister of interior and of public instruction.

Vice-president for Scotland, Earl Dalhousie; lord president for England, Earl Spencer; vice-
president for England, Sir Lyon Playfair.

D. Montgomery, chief superintendent of education. 7.00 Hon. Gédéon Ouimet, superintendent of education.

Don Mauro Fernández, minister of commerce, agriculture, finances, and public instruction.
A. Batres, minister of public instruction.

Dr. Don Francisco Castellon, minister of foreign affairs and public instruction.

SDr. D. Eduardo Wilde, minister of justice, worship, and public instruction.
Dr. Benjamin Zorrilla, president of national council of education.

Señor E. C. Varas, minister of justice, worship, and public instruction.

J. Modesto Espinosa, minister of interior, foreign affairs, and public works; Don Carlos R. Tobar,
under secretary, reporting on education.

Señor Aureliano, minister of justice, ecclesiastical affairs, and public instruction; Señor Don
Jacobo A. Varela, national inspector of primary instruction.

a Estimated.

b Registrar-general's estimate.

c European.

d Total.

e Estimated European.

Ecuador reports for 6 (out of 11) provinces.

Würtemberg

Saxony....

1883-84

6-14

25, 596

26, 123

51, 719

13

n1172

01, 0595

a Expenditures in 1885-'86, according to information received from Mr. Edmund Jussen, United States consul-general in Vienna. b Includes higher primary and burgher
Bchools. c There are only 10 State normals, with 767 pupils; the others are normal sections and "écoles normales agréées," which were re-established by law of Septem-
ber 20, 1884. d In 1883 for primary instruction only. e Estimated for 1886. ƒ Public. g Private. h Excluding duplicates and including enrolment in ma-
ternal school. iOf the entire number 3, 453,071 were between the ages of six and thirteen. jIn 1881. k In 1885-'86. Teachers' positions; number of teachers
not given. m Includes amount for Fortbildungschulen (1,892 in number) and for the two deaf and dumb institutions. n Schools. o Classes. p Legal. g Enu-
merated. r Includes 23,414 pupil teachers. 8 Includes expenditure for night schools with 23,750 pupils. t Includes 3,693 pupil teachers. u Includes ex-
penditure for night schools with 9,509 pupils. v Enrolment for results. w Total enrolment.
Includes 640 work mistresses and temporary assistants. y Total
income. z The governmental normals are 69 in number with 5,969 pupils; the rest are provincial, communal, and private. Also 64,017 pupil teachers.
2 In-
cludes public, subsidized private, and private schools. 3 State normals only. 4 Includes infant schools.
Total. "Protestant. "Protestant schools
only. 8 Winter term.
Summer term. 10 Provincial grant for year ending December 31, 1885. 11 County fund for eight months ending June 30, 1885.
13 With statistics for 1885. 14 Oblig.
15 En. 16 Expenditure by Government. 17 Total income for all schools. 18 Ecuador reports

for 6 (out of 11) provinces. 19 Includes small number of private pupils and teachers. 20 Includes high and normal school teachers. 21 Includes 452 pupil teachers.