(a) To consider, discuss and advise upon, all matters specially referred to it by the Go vernor (b) To consider, discuss and recommend, such changes in the Code of Regulations as may seem to it advisable to be made; (c) To consider the advisability of closing superfluous Schools, of amalgamating or reorganising existing Schools, and opening new Schools where needed, for the management of which latter it shall make such arrangements as it may think fit;(d) To make recommendations to the Governor from time to time, as to the expenditure it may consider necessary for the purpose of making adequate provisions for educational requirements; (e) To adjust any difficulties or differences that may from time to time arise between School Managers and Teachers, and may be brought before it ; (f) To settle such cases of charges of misconduct on the part of School Teachers, or of complaint in regard to the conduct of School Managers, as may be referred to it by the Governor; (g) To initiate and prosecute any enquiry arising out of any complaint, representation or other information received, affecting the working of the Elementary School System in Jamaica, and to call for all necessary information;— (h) To make and alter By-Laws for the conduct of its business and the regulation of its proceedings. JAMAICA SCHOOLS COMMISSION. THERE are scattered throughout the island a variety of School Endowments, to enquire into which a Commission was appointed in the year 1845. In the reports which the Commissioners presented they pointed out the prevalence of abuses, the inefficiency of the governing bodies, and the misapplication or non-application of many of the endowments, and recommended legislation. But though the Legislature interfered and improved a few of the charities so reported upon, the recommendations of the Commission did not meet with much attention and the larger portion of the charities continued in an unsatisfactory state. To remedy the evils the Legislature in 1879 passed a Law (34 of 1879) creating a corporate body called the Jamaica Schools Commission for the following purposes: (1) To be a governing body for the management of a School to be called the Jamaica High School, to be so conducted as to promote the higher education of the country, and (2) to carry out a systematic visitation of Endowed Schools and to prepare and execute schemes for the reform of governing bodies and the better application of endowments for education throughout the island. The Grammar School known as the Jamaica Free School in the parish of St. Ann (endowed partly by the funds of a Charity called Drax's Free School and partly by an annual grant from the Legislative Council) was transferred to the Schools Commission as the basis of the High School. The character of the instruction to be given in the School was prescribed and a "conscience clause" was inserted in the law.* Soon after the passing of the law the Commission was appointed and proceeded to the discharge of its functions. It removed the Jamaica Free School from St. Ann to newly built premises in St. Andrew and up to the present time the Commission has prepared schemes for the future management of Manning's Free School in Westmoreland, Rusea's Free School in Hanover, Titchfield Free School in Portland, the several Free Schools in Manchester and Vere, and the large and important Trust known as the Munro and Dickenson Charity, together with one for the management of the Davidson bequest for the education of a poor boy and girl, all of which have been duly approved by the Governor in Privy Council. For information as to the details of these schemes and the previous history of the Schools reference should be made to the preceding articles on these Trusts. Wolmers Free School in Kingston has also engaged, and is still engaging, the attention of the Commission. The Commission has also submitted to the Governor a scheme for the extension of University teaching to Jamaica, which is now in partial operation, and has built and equipped University College for the purpose of enabling students to take advantage of facilities offered by the University of London for the taking of the degrees of B.A. and L.L.B. The Commission also after considerable trouble and correspondence has at last induced the University of London to consent to hold in Jamaica certain examinations which the See Jamaica High School, page 321. University had hitherto refused to hold in the colonies. For further information reference should be made to the article on University College. Owing to the absence in many districts of higher education than that provided by Elementary Schools, the Commission lately submitted to the Legislature, through the Government, a Bill entitled "The Secondary Education Law" which however was thrown out by the Council in the Session of 1891 with the understanding that it should be brought forward again in 1892. This was done and the Bill with certain amendments made by the Government and others made by the Council has now passed into Law. The Schools Commissioners, at the request of the Governor, perform the same functions in Jamaica as the Civil Service Commissioners in the United Kingdom, with reference to the examination of Candidates for the Civil Service under the competi tive examination system introduced during the Governorship of Sir Henry Wylie Nor man.* JAMAICA SCHOOLS COMMISSION. The Right Reverend Enos Nuttall, D.D., Lord Bishop of Jamaica, Chairman. The Right Rev. C. F. Douet, M.A., D.D., The Rev. William Gillies, Senior Principal Mico Training School. The Hon. J. C. Phillippo, M.D. S. C. Burke, Esq., Assistant to the Attorney General. Secretary-Robert Johnstone, Esq. (who is also Secretary of the Board of Supervision), salary £50. JAMAICA SCHOLARSHIPS. AFTER the establishment of Crown Government large strides were made in the direction of popular elementary education and large provision was annually granted for its promotion among the masses of the people: but it remained for the late Sir Anthony Musgrave to propose a scheme, having for its object the encouragement and assistance of education of a higher grade" among those classes of the community who would value it if placed within their reach, but whose means do not enable them to send their children to Europe for the purpose of obtaining it." It is true that the Queen's College was established in 1871 with the aim of supplying tuition of a high class, but its ultimate failure to carry out the work which it was intended to accomplish pointed to the conclusion that education had not then sufficiently advanced in the island to supply students for such a high college course. In short, too great a distance intervened between the common schools of the country and the Queen's College, but the stimulus since afforded by the institution of the Jamaica Scholarships has so raised the standard of three or four good grammer schools as, to a very considerable extent, to bridge over the interval which existed in 1871 between the schools of that period and the Queen's College. In fact to such an extent have good schools developed that the Jamaica Schools Commission has arrived at the opinion that more general good to the country can be done with the money now devoted to the Scholarship tenable in the United Kingdom by the foundation of more numerous Scholarships of less value tenable in Jamaica, combined with a system of extension of University teaching to Jamaica, and the Commission has lately submitted to the Governor a scheme to this end which is now under consideration. The scheme proposed by Sir Anthony Musgrave to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and approved of was the establishment of a Government Scholarship of the annual value of £200, tenable for three years, open to public competition in each year by boys born in Jamaica, or of parents domiciled in Jamaica, the boys having been resident in Jamaica for at least five years preceding the examination, the standard of the examination being the same as that for matriculation at the London University. The first examination was held in January, 1881, and resulted in the Scholarship being awarded to Mr. T. W. Halliday, of York Castle High School, who passed in * See Civil Service, page 114. the second division of the London University Matriculation Examination. In the second examination in January, 1882, Mr. A. E. Tomlinson, of Potsdam School, in St. Elizabeth, gained the Scholarship, passing in the first division of the London University Matriculation Examination. In the third examination held in January, 1883, Mr. E. T. Lee of Potsdam School, gained the Scholarship, passing 15th in the honours' division at the London University Matriculation Examination. In the examination in 1884, Mr. E R. C. Earle, of the Jamaica High School, gained the Scholarship, passing second in the honours' division;-position which would have entitled him to a University Exhibition had not the fact of his being a Colonial Candidate disqualified him. The Scholarship in 1885 was won by Mr. R. M. Parnther, of York Castle High School, who passed 10th in the honours' division; and the Scholarship for 1886 was won by Mr. F. C. Tomlinson, of Potsdam School, who passed 5th in the honours' division. The Scholarship in 1887 was won by Mr. E. V. Lockett, of York Castle High School, who was placed next to the first Candidate in the original honours' list, while the other two Candidates who presented themselves, Mr. J. DaCosta and Mr. E. M. Halliday, also from the same school were placed, respectively, next to the second and third in the original honours' list. The Scholarship in 1888 was won by Mr. E. E. Murray, of York Castle High School, who obtained the highest place yet gained by any Canditate from Jamaica, and in fact the highest place that it was possible to gain. Mr. Murray was placed above the first in the original honours' list, thus beating all the Candidates in the Empire who attended the London Matriculation Examination at home or abroad. Each of these four Candidates obtained a number of marks which would, if they had been examined in the United Kingdom, have entitled them to an Exhibition. Of the other Candidates in 1888 for the Jamaica Scholarship Mr. A. G. Harrison was placed next to the forty-sixth, Miss L. M. L. C. Cassis equal with the sixty-eighth, and Mr. E. E. L. Goffe next to the ninety-fourth in the original honours' list. One Candidate, Mr. P. O. Malabre, passed in the first division and another Mr. J. C. Scotland, passed in the second division. The Scholarship in 1889 was won by Mr. C. A. H. Thomson, of the Jamaica High School, who passed in the first division, that for 1890 by Mr. H. C. Jackson of the same school, that for 1891 by Mr. H. A. Josephs of the York Castle High School, and that for 1892 by Mr. H. D. Lockett of same School. The following are the regulations for the Jamaica Scholarships : (1) There shall be an examination for the Scholarship in the month of December in each year. Due notice will from time to time be given of the days, hours, and place of examination, as well as of the name of the Secretary of the Local Committee and the Sub-Examiner. (2) No Candidate shall be admitted to the examination unless he shall have produced evidence to the satisfaction of the Governor showing that he was born in Jamaica, or of parents domiciled in Jamaica; that he has resided here for at least five years next preceding the examination; that he is of good and steady personal character; and that he will have completed his seventeenth, but not completed his nineteenth year on the 15th of December of the year in which he is a Candidate. This evidence shall be transmitted to the Colonial Secretary before the 1st of September next before the examination. N. B.-At the examination in 1893 the maximum age shall for that examination alone remain at its present limit of the completion of the twentieth year. (3) The examination for the Scholarship shall be the Local Examination of the University of Cambridge for Senior Students; and the Scholarship shall be awarded to the Candidate who shall come out highest at that examination, provided that he obtains either a first or second class in honours, or a third class in honours together with distinction in one subject. (4) Candidates for the Scholarship must comply with all requirements of the University as to fees, forms, and date of entrance, &c., as to which information may be obtained from the Secretary of the Local Committee (at present the Rev. W. Pratt, Kingston). (5) No Candidate for the Scholarship who has previously competed for it and been unsuccessful will be allowed to compete for it a second time, but Students may enter for the Cambridge Senior Local Examination without being Candidates for the Scholarship. (6) The name of the successful Candidate will be reported to the Governor by the Secretary to the Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, and will be duly announced by him to such Candidate, and published in the Gazette. (7) The successful Candidate shall report himself at the Colonial Office and enter, not later than Michaelmas Term, as a Student at one of the Universities of Great Britain or Ireland, to be approved by the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and shall proceed in regular course to the degree of Bachelor of Arts, or to other corresponding degree of such University; he shall transmit quarterly to the Secretary of State for the Colonies a certificate, signed by his College Tutor or other recognized authority, stating that he is thoroughly well-conducted and industrious; if he fails to obtain such certificate, or does not read for "honours," in the event of the Authorities of his College deciding that he should do so, the Scholarship shall be withdrawn summarily. (8) Subject to the fulfilment of these conditions, of which the Secretary of State will advise the Crown Agents for the Colonies, the Scholars will be paid quarterly by the Agents at the rate of £200 a year, each Scholarship to be tenable for three years, and to commence from the 1st of July following the examination. (9) In all cases of doubt, or questions arising in the colony or in Great Britain as to the construction of the conditions under which the Scholarships are competed for, and the payments attached to the Scholarships are made, the Governor and the Secretary of State respectively shall have full power and authority finally to decide. (10) The foregoing rules shall be subject to revision from time to time, but no change shall be made in such a manner as to affect the interest of Candidates to whom the Scholarship may have already been awarded, or in any case without twelve months' notice to be published in the Government Gazette. The following are the existing regulations of the University of Cambridge in regard to the subjects for the examination for senior Students to be held December, 1893, in which, under No. 3 of the Regulations for the Jamaica Scholarship, Candidates are required to pass in the way prescribed : PART I.-PRELIMINARY. Every Student will be required to satisfy the Examiners in (a) English Grammar (including parsing and the analysis of sentences) and English Composition; (b) The principles and practice of Arithmetic. But see E on page 318. PART II. The Examination will comprise the subjects mentioned in the following eight sections; and every Student will be required to satisfy the Examiners in at least three sections, no two of which are in the same bracket. No one will be allowed to enter for more than five of the sections A, B, C, D, E, F, with Drawing or Music, or for more than four with Drawing and Music. Section A must be taken by all Students, unless their parents or guardians object to their examination in that section. But see E on page 318. Section A. RELIGIOUS Knowledge: The Examination will consist of questions on (a) Ezra; Nehemiah; Jeremiah xxvi—xxviii, xxxiv-xliv, lii; (b) the Gospel of St. Matthew, credit being given for a knowlege of the original Greek; for Jewish Students only 2 Samuel, 1 Kings i-ii, 1 Chronicles x-xi, xiii-xiv, xvi—xxii, xxviii-xxix, credit being given for a knowledge of the original Hebrew; (c) the Epistle to the Galatians and the Epistle of St. James; (d) the Offices for Holy Communion, Public Baptism of Infants, and Confirmation, in the Book of Common Prayer; especial attention must be paid to the Apostle's Creed. To pass in this section Students must satisfy the Examiners in (b) and in one of the subjects (a), (c), (d), to each of which the same credit is given. No Student will be examined in more than one of the three subjects (a), (c), (d). Credit will be given for a knowledge of the Revised Version. Students who barely satisfy the Examiners in each of two subjects may be rejected in the section on the ground of general weakness. Section B. (a) History of England, from the accession of Henry III to the accession of Henry VII. Questions may be set on the literature of the period. Questions will also be set on the outlines of the history of England from the Norman Conquest to the Accession of Queen Victoria. Or (b) Greek History, the Reigns of Philip and Alexander; some general questions will also be set on the history of Greece from 359 to 280 B.C. Or (c) Roman History, the Reign of Augustus; same general questions will also be set on the history of Rome from B.C. 27 to A.D. 117. (d) Physical, Political, and Commercial Geography of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and its dependencies, and of the Continent of America South of the United States, with some general questions on Geography. (Medal, see page 14.) (e) Shakespeare, Richard II, with paraphrasing and philological and other questions arising out of the subject, and with elementary questions on the history of the English drama to the death of Shakespeare. Or (f) Milton, Paradise Lost, V, VI, with paraphrasing and philological and other questions arising out of the subject. (g) The elements of Political Economy. Or (h) The elements of Logic. To pass in this section Students must satisfy the Examiners in two at least of the subjects; they may not take more than one of the three (a), (b), (c), or of the two (e), (f), or of the two (g), (h). Students who barely satisfy the Examiners in each of two subjects may be rejected in the section on the ground of general weakness. Section C. LATIN (see notes A, B). Passages will be given for translation into English from Virgil, Æn. VI.; Lucretius V 771-end; Livy IX 1-31; Cicero, de Amicitia. Students must select one verse and one prose subject from these four. GREEK (see note A). Passages will be given for translation into English from Euripides, Heracleidæ ; Homer, Odyssey IX; Thucydides VII 50-end; Plutarch, Themistocles. Students must select one verse and one prose subject from these four. A fair knowledge of either language enables a Student to pass in this section. Students may as an alternative enter for HIGHER LATIN AND GREEK. The examination will comprise four papers, (1) passages of Latin for translation and comment, with some questions on Grammar, (2) passages of Greek for translation and comment, with some questions on Grammar, (3) passages for translation into Latin Prose and Verse, (4) passages for translation into Greek Prose and Verse. For Students who do not take Verse alternative Prose passages will be set. A larger number of marks will be attainable for success in these papers than in the ordinary papers in Latin and Greek, and a higher minimum standard of attainment will be required. Section D. FRENCH (see notes A, B, C). Passages will be given for translation into English from Souvestre, Un Philosophe sous les Toits, and Ponsard, Charlotte Corday. GERMAN (see notes A, B, C). Passages will be given from Hauff, Das Wirthshaus im Spessart (omitting Said's Schicksale), and Schiller, Maria Stuart, for translation into English. In writing German in the Examination, students are advised to use the English character, but the use of the German character is not forbidden. A fair knowledge of either language enables a Student to pass in this section. Note A. In the examination in Latin, Greek, French, and German: (1) Questions will be set on the language and subject-matter. Questions may also be set upon the metre of verse subjects. Without a fair knowledge of Grammar a student cannot pass. (2) One or more easy passages not contained in the books named will be set for translation into English, a vocabulary of the less familiar words being given. Students are required to satisfy the Examiners in this part of the paper; but in cases of failure the translation of the unprepared passages of ordinary difficulty will be taken into account. (3) One or more passages of ordinary difficulty not contained in the books named will be set for translation into English. In order to obtain the mark of distinction students will be expected to do fairly well in this part of the paper. Note B. In the examination in Latin, French, and German: One or more passages will be set for translation from English into the language. A student can not obtain |