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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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