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TURKEY AND TRIBUTARY STATES: — EGYfT

TJie following table shows the proportion of illiteiates in the various religious communities (1907 census) :—

Population

Number illitei-ate per 1000

Religion

Males

Females

Total

Moslems ..... Copts .... Jews .... Others ....

10,269,445

706,322

38,635

175,576

922 812 441 281

998 984 6S7 523

960 897 562 392

Total

11,189,978

902

989

946

Subject to certain adjustments for purposes of comparison, it appears that the pro- portion of the native Egyptian population able to read and write in 1907, as compared with the returns of the previous census in 1897, is as follows :—

1907

1S9(

Males

Females

Males

85 per 1000

3 per 1000

80 per 1000

Females

2 per 1000

Until 1897, Government initiative in the matter of education was limited to supplying a Europeanised course of education designed to lit Egyptians for various branches of the public service and for professional careers. This system of schools, which owes its origin to the Europeanising zeal of Mohammed Ali Pasha, the first viceroy, consists of Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, and Professional Colleges (Law, Medicine, Engineering, Veterinary, Military, Teaching), in addition to a number of special schools (Accountancy and Commerce, Agriculture, Technical, Police, and Housewifery).

Scattered throughout the country there have existed from time im- memorial a number of indigenous schools called 'Kuttabs.' In 1897, the Ministry of Education endeavoured to bring these independent 'kuttabs' voluntarily under Departmental supervision by means of a system of inspection and reward. Government aid was made dependent upon daily instruction being given in the 3 R's, apart from any religious teaching, and upon the school reaching a satisfactory level of efficiency. The extent to which the scheme has developed is shown in the following table :

Year

Number of

private

kuttabs under

inspection

Number of pupils under Number of Total amount inspection kuttabs of grant-in-aid

Boys

Girls

Total grant-in-aid £E

1909-10 1910-11 1911-12

3,582 3,644 3.556

174,023 184,486 191,687

16,852 17,609

18,758

190,875 3,054 21,479 202,095 3,139 21,888 210,445 3,279 22,982

A staff of 3 Inspectors and 35 Sub- Inspectors is exclusively engaged under the Ministry of Education in the improvement and development of these kuttabs. To improve the teaching staff the Ministry has instituted bi- weekly holiday classes for teachers at 35 centres, and has recently created 5 Normal Schools for men teachers and one for women teachers.

In close relationship with the kuttabs. Government has recently created trade schools for carpentry, metal-work, etc., at Bulak and Assiut, and| similar schools have been established through private enterprise at Cairo (4) " Alexandria, Damanhur, Tukh, Fayum, Beui-Suef, Abu-Tig, Luxor, Suhag, Nag Hamadi, and other provincial towns.

The following table gives statistics (corrected to December 31st. 1911,

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