47
136.
9.
5.
FEES AT GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS
It is the considered opinion of the Commissioners
that too much is done for secondary education and too litt
The former could be curtailed without any
for primary,
detriment to the Colony. The method in which this should be
•
done is by raising the fees at Goverment secondary schools.
At present the fees bear no relation to the cost of providing
the education. These should be raised until the gap between
the two is appreciably reduced. In order to do this it will
first be necessary to price cost the department and the
schools. Encouragement should be given to intelligent boys
and girls, whose further education will benefit the community,
by the provision of a number of free scholarships.
10.
GRANT IN AID SCHOOLS.
The basis on which grants are paid should be rationalized
Under the present system those non Government schools known
as Grant in Aid Schools (English) almost all of which are
den ominational, receive a Science Grant, a University
Examination Grant, and a Capitation Grant. The Capitation
Grant is calculated on the average yearly attendance, and is
based on a graduated scale; namely $50 per pupil in the
higher classes, $30 per pupil in the Remove classes, and $20
per pupil in the Lower Classes. This differentiation
according to the class of the pupil naturally encourages
schools to place as many boys as possible in the higher
classes, not always with proper regard to their scholastic
ability. The Commissioners do not consider the amounts of
the grants allowed to these schools excessive. The Grant in
Aid Schools do very satisfactory work in the Colony, and
according to the Report of the Director of Education for 1929
nearly five thousand pupils were that year being given