EDUCATION

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1747, 30 August 1905, Page 18

EDUCATION

THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. MINISTER’S ANNUAL REPORT. The Minister for Education presented his annual report to Parliament on Thursday. The average attendance during the year at all the schools throughout the colony, which in 1903 showed a falling-off of 664, rose to 116,506 in 1904, an increase for the year of 3459. This is a greater increase than has been shown in any one year since 1894. The increase above the attendance during 1902 (113,711), the highest recorded previously, was 2795. The increase in attendance has been fairly regular throughout the year, the falling-off in one , quarter as compared with the other three, which was somewhat marked in the last few years, being much smaller. The attendance for th© first quarter was 115,997; for the second, 116,214; for the third, 115,838; and for the last 117,965. It will therefore be seen that the falling-off in the third quarter was not more than might be expected for the winter months. The average of the weekly roll-numbers shows a further increase for 1904, being 1534 larger than in 1903. The figures for 1903 were 134,748, and for 1904, 136,282. The number on the roll at the end of the year likewise shows a considerable increase, being 135.475, or 1907 more than the number enrolled at the end of 1903. There is also a very satisfactory improvement in the standard of regularity of attendance attained during the year, namely, 85.5 per cent., or 1.6 per cent, above that for 1903. This improvement, it may be noted, took place gradually throughout the whole year. In_ the first quarter the average daily attendance was 85.07 pef cent, of the average weekly rollnumber, in the second quarter 85.15 per cent., in the third quarter 85.38 per cent., and in the last quarter 86.36 per The increase in the average attendance was last year shown in the •south districts as well as in those of the North Island. In 1899 the average attendance for the South Island was 56,486; m 1900 this fell to 56,111; in 1901 to 55,358; a recovery in 1902 brought it up to 56,110, and a further fall in 1903 brought it down to 54,422. The increase'of 1061 for 1904 still leaves it 1003 lower than it was in 1899. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE. The greatest increase in the average daily attendance was in the Auckland district (803), the next being Wellington (6SO),' and the third Wanganui (524). These three districts also showed the greatest increases in _ 1903. The . next largest increase was in North Canterbury (499), which was, in addition, the largest for the South Island. The calculation of the daily attendance according

to the working average came into force in 1894. In that year the attendance for the North Island was 46,830, and that for the South Island was 58,166. During the next five years there was an unbroken! (but gradually diminishing) increase each year in the North Island, amounting altogether to 7000. In the South Island, after an increase in the first two yeara of 1515, there was a net falling-off of 1670. ’ During the subsequent five yeans the increase in the North Island was 7193, and the falling-off in the South Island 1003. For the whole decade the increase in the North Island was 30 per cent., and the decrease in the South Island 4& per cent., of the numbers in 1894.

As regards regularity of school attendance in the several parts of the colony, there has been an increase in all the districts except Grey, which, with 83.1 per cent, of the average weekly roll, ia the lowest. Otago, which has stood at the head of the list since 1901, maintains its position with the fine percentage of 88.6. South Canterbury, with. 87.5 per cent., attained second place, and Westland third, with 87.4 per cent. Auckland, Wellington, and Hawke’s Bay have the highest percentage of attendance in the North Island. The South Island shows a greater degree of regularity of attendance than the North, the respective rates being 86.5 per cent, and 84.6 per cent of the average weekly roll. In 1903 the figures were 84.3 per cent, and 83.5 per cent, respectively. TEACHERS.

In December, 1904, there were employed on the primary staffs in the public schools of the colony 3718 teachers; of these, .3069 were adults and 649 pupilteachers: the corresponding numbers for December, 19J3, were 2996 adults and 699 pupil-teachers. Of the adult teachers at the end of 1904, 1272 were men and 1797 women; of the pupil - teachers, 144 were male and 505 female. The number of adult male teachers was 2 more, and of adult female teachers 71 more, than in December, 1903; and the number of male pnpil-teachers was 3 less, and of females 47 less, than at that period. Most, in fact nearly all, of the pupilteacbere displaced, except those leaving voluntarily, have during the year received appointments as assistant teachers. The average number of children to one teacher for the year 1904 was 31.3.

TRAINING COLLEGES. The increased , grants to training-col-leges voted by Parliament- last year have enabled the two existing institutions at Christchurch and Dunedin to reorganise their staff s and to bring their work more into accord with modern ideas. The number of students has also largely increased, the number attending during the present year (1905) being nine men and ninetysix women, a total of 105. The establishment of the two other colleges proposed in the report of the Parliamentary committee, at Auckland , and Wellington respectively, has been authorised, so that at the beginning of next year there will be four such colleges, one in connection with each of the four university colleges. The demand for teachers in the colony is still so great that for some time to come pro-bably many ex-pupil-teachers will accept appointments without going to the training-colleges at all. Nevertheless, it may be confidently stated that the advantages of- a thorough training, such as cannot be obtained in the course of apprenticeship, are so obvious, and the allowances and privileges to students so liberal, that before long the four institutions will in all likelihood have their full complement of teachers in training. The total cost of the four colleges when, all are full and in working-order will be from £20,000 to' £22,000; these figures, however, include the cost of teaching 1600 to 1800 children, whose instruction would otherwise have to be provided for.