21. The religious denominations of the Managers of the schools, Religion of Managers distinguishing Clerical from Lay, on 31st December, 1900, were of Schools. as follows:

Model and Poor Law Union School Managers, being Officials, are excluded from this table.

Compulsory Attendance Provisions of the Irish
Education Act, 1892.

Education

22. Owing to causes to which we have alluded in former Re- Irish ports, especially the difficulty that was experienced in many places Act, 1892. in raising funds to meet the expense connected with the application of the compulsory clauses of the Act of 1892, these clauses were not so generally enforced as we had anticipated; but as the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, removed the difficulties of this character, there has been a considerable increase in the number of places in which the Act is being enforced, and there has been a marked tendency to extend the compulsory clauses of the Act of 1892 to rural districts. On the 31st December last School Attendance Committees existed in 82 of the 120 towns and townships in Ireland having Commissioners, and the compulsory clauses were enforced in 74 of these places. In 31 rural districts School Attendance Committees have been appointed. The application of the compulsory clauses of the Act of 1892 has had a good effect on the school attendance in Dublin and other places where the law has been vigorously enforced.

In the following table the attendance at National Schools generally and at National Schools situate in the 74 towns where

B

the compulsory clauses of the Act of 1892 are enforced are compared :

Attendance at Model Schools.

Pupil
Teache:s
and
Monitors.

Schools of a Special Character.

(a.) MODEL SCHOOLS.

23. The number of Model School Establishments in operation at the end of the year was 30, of which 4 (including the Central Model Schools) are Metropolitan, and the remaining 26 are District and Minor Model Schools. These contain in all 75 separate departments, each in operation with its own distinct staff and organization.

Evening schools for boys are recognised in connexion with the Central, the West Dublin, the Inchicore, and the Belfast Model Schools.

The total average number of pupils on the Rolls of the Model Schools, excluding the Evening Departments, for the year was 9,272.

The average daily attendance of day pupils at these Schools for the year was 6,547.

The per-centage of the average daily attendance of day pupils for the year to the average number on the Rolls was 70·6.

In the Evening Departments of the four Model Schools specified above there were 379 pupils on the Rolls on the last day of the year, with an average attendance of 179 pupils. The average

on Rolls was 323.

Besides the regular Teaching Staffs we employ Pupil-Teachers and Monitors in the Model Schools. In some of the Model Schools male Pupil Teachers are boarded and lodged at the public expense; in others they receive an allowance for maintenance. Feniale Pupil Teachers are always non-resident.

There were 178 Pupil Teachers (107 Boys and 71 Girls) in the Model Schools on the 31st December, 1900.

MODEL SCHOOLS.

Model Schools

25. The following Table shows (a) the Total expenditure on Expendi- the Model Schools for the Year 1900, (b) the Net expenditure on the Model Schools out of the National Education Vote, and (c) the total payments to the Teaching Staff from the National Education Vote and from Local Sources.

ture.

(Expenditure by Board of Works on repairs, &c., not included.)

Expenditure

(a)

Expenditure from State
Grants.

from Local

Sources.

(b.) CONVENT AND MONASTERY SCHOOLS,

26. The numbers of these Schools, and the attendances, for Convent year, were as follows:

the

and Monastery Schools.

This table does not include the Evening Departments connected with the Convent and Monastery Schools, of which there are 3. The number on Rolls at these Departments at the end of the year was 443, the average on Rolls 431, the average attendance 255.

Assistants.

The teaching power in some Convent Schools is partly made Lay up of Lay Assistants-275 in number-who, though not paid directly by us, are recognised under special conditions, and are granted valuable privileges in the matter of service, training, and promction in class.

The total average number of day pupils on the Rolls of the Convent and Monastery National Schools, for the year was 108,707.

The total average daily attendance at these Schools for the year was 71,988.