RUSSIA'S NEED FOR SCHOOLS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9122, 23 June 1908, Page 4

RUSSIA'S NEED FOR SCHOOLS.

Dr. Dillon has an article on Foreign Affairs in the "Contemporary Review," and it is interesting because of the'intormation which it gives as to the educational destitution < of Russia. The official data for the year 1903—the most recent availablehave been Btudied by members of the leading political party in the Duma, Dr. Dillon says. In that year the exact number of the f.opulation was 144,194,000, and among these there were only 26,558,000 who

could read or write. The yearly outlay of the State for popular instruction was but 11 copecks, or 2Jd, a head! If we add to this mite the sums furnishel by cities, zemstvos and communities for educational purposes, the amount increases to 41 copecks, or How insignificant even this expenditure really is may be gathered from a comparison with -the educational budget of other countries, thus:—Japan spends annually Is l£d, Sweden and Norway 2s 9Jd, France 3s sd, Great Britain 4s lid, Switzerland 5s Ofd, Germany 5s ljd, United States 10s Id, New Zealand lis ll£d. Consequently Russia is behind the whole cultured world. It has been calculated that there aj*e in Russia 13,250,000 children between the ages of eight and 12 who would need 265,042 schools if the average school accommodated 50 children. Taking that as a basis, and putting the salary of the teacher at 360 roubles, or £37 10s, and £6 5s for religious instruction, the amount payable in salaries alone would amount to 103,366,000 roublas, and the upkeep of the schools ought to cost about 182,021,000 roubles, so that altogether 300,000,000 roubles is a moderate estimate of what should be expended annually on elementary education. Now, as a matter of fact, the Ministry of Public Instruction disposes of no more than 9,114,090 roubles, all told.