Joyce as an Organiser of Schools

In 1833, there were 789 national schools located around Ireland with an attendance of around 107,000 students. Within 20 years, however, the number of schools had risen to 4547, while more than 511,000 children were attending school. Over the same period, more than 5000 teachers had been trained under the system overseen by the National Board. The devastation caused by the Great Famine, however, brought about such a decrease in the number of qualified teachers that in the 1856 report of the Board it was stated that “upwards of 2,000 of the 5,192 national schools in the country are in the hands of untrained teachers”. That situation created an unease among the Commissioners, who were committed to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the schools and raising the standards of teachers and students.