British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 651

CHAPTER XVI.

school provides only two classes superimposed on the two "higher elementary" standards which might be more suitably termed "postprimary". Such schools may be called Intermediate schools. There are seventeen of these, three of them girls' schools. Admission is by successive selection on merit from the gratuitous lower elementary cycle to the higher elementary and from that to the lower secondary.

Small fees are charged above the lower elementary classes but. only from those who can afford to pay.

The second stage of secondary schooling consists of two additional' standards (3rd and 4th secondary) and prepares for Palestine Matriculation.

Pupils in the second stage are distinguished as "scientific" and "literary" according as they take higher mathematics and higher physics or Latin. The other principal subjects are common. Admission to this stage is by still more careful selection and all pupils are of "scholarship" standard.

The third stage includes one or more post-matriculation standards ("sixth form") in which the differentation into literary and scientific studies may be more marked. Colleges which include this stage provide either academic instruction at lower university level, for pupils aged between 16 and 20, or teacher training or both.

The academic instruction is of about the standard of higher school certificate or of the Intermediate Arts or Science of London University.

There are five schools, one a girls' school and one an agricultural school, which reach fourth secondary (matriculation) standard in age and attainments. Of these five, four including the girls' school already have higher classes.

Admission to post primary schooling has been limited by lack of financial provision and by the difficulty of establishing postprimary courses of a vocational or technical nature during the war. On the other hand the necessity for widening the basis of teacher supply and supporting the other professions has been able to develop the academic secondary school even in war-time.

In 1939 there were 45 schools with a seventh elementary standard in which the total number of pupils was 1280. A year ago there were 108 such schools with 2211 pupils in The seventh standard. Last year the total number of secondary pupils was 1211 and the number of pupils in the matriculation class was about 100.

The number of pupils of secondary age admitted to and retained in public schools, could be increased indefinitely if financial provision were made but the increase should be mainly on the technical

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