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216
Legal Enactments and Regulations.
In order that the Education Committee may deal as
required with all the foregoing groups of children, the following
enactments and regulations require attention:—
Elementary Education (Defective and Epileptic Children)
Act, 1899:—
Section 1.—(1) A school authority, as defined by the
Elementary Education (Blind and Deaf Children)
Act, 1893, may, with the approval of the Education
Department, make such arrangements as they think
fit for ascertaining—
(a) What children in their district, not being
imbecile, and not being merely dull or backward,
are defective, that is to say, what
children, by reason of mental or physical defect,
are incapable of receiving proper benefit from
the instruction in the ordinary public elementary
schools, but are not incapable by reason
of such defect of receiving benefit from instruction
in such special classes or schools as are
in this Act mentioned; and
(b) What children in their district are epileptic
children, that is to say, what children, not
being idiots or imbeciles, are unfit by reason
of severe epilepsy to attend the ordinary public
elementary schools.
(3) For the purpose of ascertaining whether a child is
defective or epileptic within the meaning of this
section, a certificate to that effect by a duly qualified
practitioner approved by the Education Department
shall be required in each case. The certificate
shall be in such form as may be prescribed by the
Education Department.