862
GERMAN EMPIRE : — PRUSSIA
or to send them to one of these elementary schools, in which all fees are now abolished. No compulsion exists in reference to a higher educational institution than elementary schools, but parents who send moi^e than one child to any school supported by the community have, in many cases, a reduction made in the charge, and a limited number of pupils whose parents cannot afford to pay the full rate either enjoy this reduction or are admitted entirely free, at the discretion of the authorities.^ The school age is from 6 to 14 years, and the number of children of that age in 1896 was returned at 5,654,918,
The following table gives the educational statistics of Prassia : —
No.
Teaching
Students or
Staff
Pupils
Universities (1897-98) ^ .
11
1,589
19,134
Gymnasia andProgymnasia (1896-97)*
325
5,537
93,052
Realgymnasia, Realprogymnasia, and
Higher Realschulen (1896-97)* .
173
2,584
47,826
Realschulen (1896-97)* .
78
1,128
24,182
PubUc elementary schools (1896)
36,138
82,182
5,236,826
Private ,, ,, ,,
404
17,876
Middle schools (public) , ,
604
5,645
143,097
„ (private)
1,099
82,400
Public normal schools (1897) .
126
929
11,782
2 Winter half year.
The number of elementary schools in Prussia m 1822 was 20,440 ; in 1843, 23,646 ; in 1864, 25,056 ; in 1878, 32,613 ; in 1891, 34,742 ; and in 1896, 36,138.
There are also 3 technical high schools, 2 forestry schools, 2 technical mining schools, 2 agricultural high schools, agricultural institutes connected with universities, 2 veterinary high schools, 264 other schools for various aspects of agriculture, besides other special schools and State establishments for art and music.
The Universities, all the high schools, some of the Gymnasia, Real- gymnasia, and similar schools, as also all the normal schools, are maintained and administered by the Government, while all the other scholastic institutions are supported by the community, under control of the Government. (For number of professors, teachers, and students at each of the Universities of Prussia, see under German Empire. )
The whole of the educational establishments in Prussia are under the
control of the Minister of Public Instruction and Ecclesiastical Affairs, but
there is a local supervision for every province. The administration of each of
these, as far as regards the licgicrungs-Bezirke, is vested in a President, who
is the head of the Civil Government [Recjierung) ; while the management ot
the higher (secondary) schools and the normal schools belongs to the Provincial
Schul-Collegium, under the supervision of the Oberprasident, who is the head
1 The system of secondary education coninioji to Prussia and tlie rest of Germany is (^escribed on p. 537.
