Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 387

instruction of gymnastics in the schools. In 5694 a special teachers' extension course was established for gymnastics, which was attended for three weeks by more than thirty teachers. After many years' discussion a new system of final examinations for Hebrew secondary schools has recently been introduced; it is a combination of the two main systems practised abroad, namely, external and internal examinations. The examinations are in six subjects, in respect of one of which the candidate has free choice. Most of the examinations are written, but one or two are oral. The examination papers are set by an examining board consisting of representatives of the Department in conjunction with teachers and professors from the Hebrew University. The examination questions for the class are set by the Department and the Examining Board, and the teachers of the respective schools assist in marking the papers. In the marks for the diploma, account is taken of the annual marks obtained in the school. In subjects which have no final examination the marks of the school are accepted. Pupils who reach a certain standard in their annual marks are permitted to enter for the final examination. Examinations under this system constitute an important experiment for the setting of matriculation examinations under the supervision of the Department. The new examination system has .already had a beneficial effect on the schools by raising the standard of studies and by bringing the syllabus to uniformity. Among the efforts for improving the Hebrew educational system, mention should be made of the changes introduced in the syllabus of the teachers' seminaries. In the General Teachers' Seminary the period of study has been increased by one year, thus making a two years' course after matriculation. Attached to the Teachers' Seminary is a model school where qualified teachers obtain experience, 5694 Budget (see Table 1). In drawing up the Education Budget of 5694 the Department was faced with difficult problems, the most serious being the question of the Jewish Agency's contribution to education. With the transfer of the education system to the control of the Knesseth Israel, the Jewish Agency undertook to contribute £P. 40,000 during each of the first three years of transfer (5693-95) towards the education Budget. However, the financial position of the Agency at the time made it impossible for it to fulfil its obligations in full, and the contribution was subsequently fixed, after a hard struggle, at £~P. 20,000 per annum. In order to make good the reduction of £P. 20,000 from the Agency's contribution, it was necessary to curtail expenditure as much as possible, to transfer certain schools to local control, and to increase the sources of income. The following are the main cuts made in the Expenditure Budget of 5694 compared with that of 5693 : 387