asked the Minister for Education if he will state (1) what qualifications must be fulfilled by a national school in order to secure the Carlisle and Blake Premium, and, in the matter of Irish, what qualifications are required from the teachers, and what standard of proficiency from the pupils of such school; and (2) how many teachers, not holding the Bilingual or Ard-Teastas certificate, were awarded the Carlisle and Blake Premium in the years 1927-28 and 1928-29 respectively; and (3) to how many schools in which rural science was not taught was the Carlisle and Blake Premium granted in those two years.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - The Carlisle and Blake Premium.
The scheme of regulations and conditions for the award of the Carlisle and Blake Premium, for which teachers of ordinary national schools are eligible, is published in the report of my Department for the year 1927-28 (page 121). I am supplying the Deputy with a copy.
Premiums are awarded to teachers of exceptional merit only. In accordance with the scheme their selection is based on their work in their schools, not on the certificates of qualification which they possess, and the efficiency of the instruction in Irish is included in assessing their ratings.
Under the scheme the award of premiums is made for a calendar year. Six teachers, who secured the premium for 1927, and five for 1928, did not hold an Ard-Teastas or Bilingual certificate. Their teaching of Irish was in all cases at least "Good."
A condition laid down is that, in the case of a boys' or a mixed school under a master in a rural district, the elements of the sciences underlying agriculture are fairly taught to the boys in the senior standards to enable the award of a premium to be made to the principal teacher. This condition was fulfilled in all the schools to which it applied.
In ten of the schools on the list of awards for 1927 and eleven on the list for 1928, rural science was not included in the curriculum, but with one exception instruction was given in the alternative course in nature study, in accordance with the requirements of the official programme. The exception was a school in the list of awards for 1928, which was staffed by a mistress and junior assistant mistress. In this case the official programme of instruction does not require the inclusion either of rural science or nature study in the curriculum.