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in aided institutions to a lower scale of salary, and to a lower educational status, than what is accepted as suitable for Government education officers. It is educationally desirable that all agenci engaged in large educational operations should set before themselves the task of establishing an educational cadre, whether of teachers, supervisors, or inspectors, with the same standards as those of Government education services, and that Government co-operation should make it possible for such agencies to offer the same prospects for educational work as are offered in Government service, if they think it desirable to do so either generally or in individual cases. It is already the custom in at least two Colonies to accept as expenditure on which grants are calculated salaries on the same scale as those adopted for the staffs of Government schools, provided that the qualifications are equivalent to those required of members of the Government staffs. There is from the Government stand- point no obvious reason why a teacher who prefers educational work under the auspices for instance of a religious body should on that account be paid less generously than a teacher who places his services at the disposal of Government. It may be that some teachers, from a sense of vocation, prefer to give their services for a lower rate of pay, or even without remuneration, voluntary agencies may be unwilling that their staff should be remunerated on the Government scale, or that their grants should be assessed on such a scale. There will be need for elasticity in the application of this principle. But such elasticity need not impair its central purpose, which is the maintenance of a high standard and the avoidance of a situation in which inability to meet the cost can be put forward as an excuse for poorly qualified staffs.
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(5) While it is important that all institutions aided by Govern- ment should reach a level of efficiency not markedly below that of Government institutions, there may be a stage in the history of private institutions when it is not possible to reach this level, even with the aid of the ordinary Government grant. If the Government authorities insist on certain improvements before aid is given, and the school authorities declare themselves unable to make these improvements without a grant, an impasse is created, and the improvement of the school may be indefinitely postponed. In some dependencies there is a large network of schools conducted by missions, primarily for religious purposes, but giving at the same time the rudiments of education. Some of these schools, from the constitution or circumstances of their managing bodies, afford little hope of being brought, even with a full measure of Government aid, to the educational level of Government institutions. Others will gradually be brought up to the required standard and take a recognized place in the educational system. To assist such schools as afford a reasonable hope of reaching the level required by the grants-in-aid code, temporary or provisional grants may be given.
We are not, however, concerned here with these temporary or provisional grants which will be regulated in accordance with local eds and circumstances; nor with grants for the purpose of provid- ing supervisors or visiting teachers for schools below the level required by the grants-in-aid code, if arrangements of this kind for the improvement of such schools should seem desirable. Expenditure for such purposes should be determined under a separate section of the code. The principles that we have enun- ciated in paragraph 4, and that we shall proceed to apply, are in our opinion applicable only to managing bodies that are not only willing but apparently able, with reasonable support from Govern- ment, to take their place in the system of education side by side with Government institutions. If this is not made quite clear, there is a real danger that the principles on which our proposals are based will be ignored and that the proposals themselves will be regarded merely as a plea for the generous treatment of voluntary agencies. What we have in mind is the equipment of such agencies to play the part assigned to them by the Governments.
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(6) In contending that aided institutions should be encouraged to aim at the same standard of efficiency as that in institutions provided entirely from public funds, we do not suggest that the present standard is always or often below the Government standard. We note that the Director of Education, Nigeria, states that many assisted mission schools are superior to the Government schools, and in very few instances at present does the average Government school rank above the average assisted school". Nor do we suggest that the whole cost of raising the standard of aided education, where that is necessary, should be met from public funds. Our information suggests that in many areas liberal help is being given from public funds, and that there has been a steady and in some cases rapid increase in expenditure on grants-in-aid; it may be inferred that when financial prosperity returns, voluntary agencies will not be unwilling to contribute their share towards the cost of progress. The proportion of salary expenditure to be met by the Government will depend on the funds at the disposal of Govern- ment. The exact proportion cannot be decided by any hard and fast rules of general applicability, but must be the result of dis- cussion and careful consideration of local circumstances. In such consideration it may be helpful to bear in mind the following points.
It is reasonable that a larger proportion of the expenditure should be met by the Government in the case of large and costly institu- tions than in the case of less costly undertakings. It is easier for the managers to provide half of £100 a year than one-third of £1,000 a year.
It should also be remembered that even where the Government pays a large portion of the cost of an institution, as shown in the accounts of that institution, there is often other expenditure in connexion with it, such as the home charges of
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