Although by the 1860s, the British government annually spent £800 000 on schools, this was unevenly distributed, and there were disputes about whether the state should give financial support to schools for particular religious denominations. The impetus for change was particularly increased by the recent passing of the Second Reform Act, which had enfranchised sections of the working class, and had led Robert Lowe MP to comment that 'We must educate our masters'. There were also concerns that Britain was slipping back from the forefront of technological and manufacturing development, losing out to the better educated German population. In 1870, therefore, an Education Act was passed for England, which stated that primary education …

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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Scottish Education Act". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=2057, accessed 23 November 2024.]