GREAT BRITAIN.
The foundation of the present system is the Elementary Education Act of 1870. It declared that each district where sufficient facilities for elementary instruction were not in existence should provide them. Schools requiring denomi-. national instruction or charging more than nine pence a week for tuition were not regarded as providing sufficient means for this purpose. The Education Department was required to make a statement of what was in each case demanded. In case voluntary provision to meet these de mands was not forthcoming, a school board was to be elected in the district, which was to pro vide, to maintain. and to keep efficient the requisite elementary schools. Children attend ing hoard schools were to pay a weekly fee de termined by the board. with the consent of the department, laft this was to be omitted where parents were regarded as finable to pay. School hoards were permitted to make provision for the compulsory attendance of children between five and thirteen years of age, who were not else where receiving efficient instruction, unless these children had attained the requisite standard of scholarship. or were exempt under the Fae•loy Acts. The board schools were to give no de nominational instruction. The funds for the sup port of elementary schools were to he at the dis posal of the boards. and were to he derived from Parliamentary grants, loans, fees, and local rates.
Power was given to the school boards to fix the amount of the local contribution for school pur poses. Voluntary schools, wherever• they existed, were recognized as before, and, in case they re mained properly public and elementary, were to receive grants not greater than the amount con tributed from other sources. Local rates wire not to he levied for voluntary schools. In 1870 the age of compulsory education was extended to 14 years, and provision was mode for the more effective enforcement of the last by punish ing delinquents. This law was also made to apply to districts where there were no school boards, and it was enacted that children under ten years of age should not he regularly em ployed at labor. In 'SSG boards were required to make attendance compulsory. Subsequent legislation has improved the evening schools (q.v.), turning their attention to technical and industrial education, has started undenomina tional day training colleges, and has greatly de veloped technical instruction. The poorer• rural
elementary schools have also received especial help. In 1800 the payment of tuition fees in elementary schools was abolished. In 1899 the Edueation Department was replaced by a Board of Education for England and Wales consisting of a president, the Lord President of the Council, the principal Secretaries of State, and the Chan cellor of the Exchequer. In December, 1902, a far more important measure for the unification of school administration was passed. The occa sion for this act was the complaint on the part of the voluntary schools that, 'while they gave instruction to more children than the board schools (in 1898 about 20 per cent. more), they received no aid from the local rate. The amount that they received from voluntary subscriptions was not sufficiently great to enable them to keep pace with the board schools, a large portion of the support of which was derived from local taxes. The act of 1902, which applies every where except to London, changes this condition by sweeping away the old school boards and at tendance committees, and replacing them by education authorities, which are empowered to provide for all the schools in their respective districts out of the local rates. Whatever schools receive such support arc under the general super vision of the local education authority. This outhority is the council of the county or the comity borough. It retains the right of levying the local rate and of borrowing money for school purposes,. hut hands oven• to a committee all other• edneat bawl functions. The Edneat ion Committee is appointed according to a scheme determined by the Meal authority and approved by the Board of Education. A majority of its members are in most cases appointed by the from its own number. Sonic of the others must be persons of experience in education. and the com mittee must include women. The Education Committee has power to determine the secular• education to be given in the public. elementary schools, and to fix the number and educational qualifications of the teachers. Its consent is necessary to the appointment or dismissal of teachers except where religimts considerations are involved.