OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2106, 5 July 1894, Page 35

OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM.

THE MINISTER'S REPORT.

The seventeenth annual report of the Minister for Education has been laid before Parliament. From this it appears that the number of pupils oh the school rolls at the end of 1893 was 12$, 686, the increase for the year being 2086. The average annual increase in the t6 years since the date at which the Education Act came into force has been 4312, and there has been an increase every year. Until last year there has always been an increase in the average attendance as well, and accordingly an increase of 2430 was estimated for 1893. Owing, however, to a widespread epidemic of jiheaMes, Ihe average attendance for the year fell short of that of the year 1892 by 455. In consideration of the derangement in the finances of the boards that was a necessary consequence of this unforeseen diminution, the method of computing the attendance on what is known as the " wocking average" has been temporarily revived, and this method was applied to the last three quarters of the year, with the result of a mean addition of 2274 attendances (2^ per cent.) to the' average attendances of the three quarters, the greatest addition being 3345 for the quarter ending on the 30th of September. The "strict" average for the year was 98,615, and with the additions made for three quarters by reverting to the ' ' working " average the number on which the capitation payment was made becomes 100,321, while the estimate for the year was a •• atriob" average of 10i.500. The only districts in which the strict average attendance of 1893 was not less than that of 1892 are Wanganui and Hawke's Bay. The effects of the epidemic can be readily traced by the diminution (from 80*6 to 78 5) in the percentage ratio between the school rolls and the daily attendance. Two other features call for notice. The first is the great differences with respect to regularity of school attendance, the highest percentage being 82*4, and the lowest 7r5. The second is the very unequal areas of operation of the several boards : three boards are responsible for the daily instruction (on an average) of more than 18,000 pupils each ; six others for about 8000 each — the range being from 9416 to 4115 ; and the remaining foUr for less than 1700 each, with range froiii 2415 to 1364. This disparity appears to be the main cause for the contrasts between salaries in cases bf approximately equal responsibilities, which contrasts again are the main incitement to the movement in favour of a "colonial scale" of payment of teachers. Included in the school roHs summarised are the names of 1433 Maori and half-caste pupils, exactly equal in numbers for the two years 1892 and 1893.

The proportion of girls attending public schools remains practically unchanged. In 1893 the proportion was : Boys, 51 6 per cent ; girls, 48 4 ; and for a, long series of years the proportion has been remarkably stable. With respect to age, there is a tendency towards keeping children longer at school, though the number remaining at school after reaching the age of 13 years is not large enough for any change in it to produce a very^marked effect on the percentage of younger children. The percentage of children under 10 was 54 55 in 1889, and 52 r 8 in 1893. The average age of the pupils may be roughly estimated as nine years and ten months. The same result was given by the similar calculation made at the end of 1892.

With respect to standard classification, steady progress is being made. At the end of 1889 the proportion of pupils in the classes above Standard 111 was 274 per cent. ; at the end of 1893 the proportion was 31 "7 per cent. The preparatory class has shrunk from 27*7 per cent, in 1889 to 254 per cent, in 1893. At the end of 1893 the proportion of pupils remaining at school after passing Standard IV was 18 4 per cent. ; at the end of 1889 the proportion waa 15 per cent. The proportion of children in the preparatory classes, and in the classes to be next presented for Standards I and 11, is 53*5 per cent., and is therefore almost identical with the proportion (52 8 par cent.) of children under the age of 10. The inspection statistics for the year are incomplete, owing to the lamented death of Mr E. T. Robinson, for many years secretary and inspector for the Grey education district. The number of pupils in that district being email, the totals and proportions are not greatly affecled ; but comparison with the statistics of former years and general deductions are rendered comparatively valueless, and this difficulty will reappear next year.

There is no change iv the average of the ages at which the standards are passed. The " percentage of passes" for the year was not quite so high, and tho " percentage of failures " was not quite so low, as in 1892. The percentages on class subjects and additional subjects are practically equal to those of the year 1892. Table H shows that five-sixths of the girl pupils receive instruction in needlework, notwithstanding that there is a large number of small schools where it is almost impossible to provide such instruction ; and it shows that there are only two districts in which some knowledge of arithmetic is not imparted to the very youngest children.

An important experiment with respect to standard examinations is about to be made. In Standards I and II the examination for pass is to be intrusted to th>i teachers, in order that the inspectors may havo more time to devote to the work of inspection as distinguished from examination. This change, with some others, is being made on the recommendation of the inspectors of schools, who met in conference in February 1894, at the invitation of the department.

The number of schools in operation in December 1693 was 1355, against 1302 in December 1892. The attendance having declined in the interval, the average aizß of the schools has been diminished — from an average of 775 pupils to an average of 737. The increase in the number of tinall schools is remarkable. Of schools with an attendance of less than 25 pupih each the number rose, in tho year, from 410 to 464. The effect that this development must have on the average salary of a teacher is obvious, and must be seriously considered in its relation to proposals for the institution of a " colonial scale."

The increase in the number of teachers for the year is 86, and the average number of pupils for one teacher has fallen from 31 7 to 30 - 6. The pupil teachers constitute nearly one-third of the whole staff. The women largely outnumber the men, but the difference (576) is all accounted lor in the proportion obtaining between the sexes in the ranks of the pupil teachers. The additions to the staff above the rank of pupil teacLers show that women are being preferrfcd, the increments for the year in the number of men and women respectively being 9 arid 59. Table L shows that the increaoe in the number of teachers lies almost wholly in those that receive the smallest salaries. Tfee whole increase is 86, and the increase vi tho number of teachers receiving less than £100 a year is 83. The average salary is declining. At the end of 1892 it was £94 8s lOd ; at the end of 1893 it had faiUnto £93 8s sd. The rates for eight years in succession are : £96 15s 9d, £96 9s Id, £92

13s 4d, £98 10s lid, £94 10s sd, £94 2s 6d, £94 8s 10s, £93 8a sd. The qualifications of the teachers are steadily improving. Table fit shows that in three years, among the teafehers above the rank of pilpil teacher, tlie number of those who have paised the certificate examination has been increased by 240, while the number of those who have only obtained partial pass has been reduced by 54, and the number of the remainder by 23. The table relates to a date before the examinations or 1894 ; when these are taken into account the result is the transfer of 48 names from the list of the unqualified to that of the qualified. In other words, 1988 out ef 2201 teachers Have passed examinations for certificates; - • - „ The income of tho boards for the year was on the whole within £400 of their expenditure ; and the net value of their balances — when the total of debit balances is deducted from the total of credit balances — is, as shown in the table, £50,709 13s 7d. It appears, however, that, if thrown into one account, these balances, amounting to £50,709 13s 7d, would only meet liabilities and leave the small balance of £6880 in hand. Distinguishing between building account and ordinary account, only five boards (those of the districts of Taranaki, Wanganui, Marlborougb, Otago, and Southland) had available balances iv Doth accounts | while Wellington and North Canterbury were deficient in both. In the following cases tile surplus in one account exceeded the deficit in the other : Hawke's Bay, Nelson, Westlandj dud SoutU Canterbury. In the remaining bases—Auckland and Grey— the su'rpliis in 1 one. account was outweighed by the deficit in the other.

The boards generally continue to make representations with respect to the insufficiency of the special grants for echool buildings. The over-crowded schools are somewhat fewer than they were, but this is partly accounted for by the scanty attendance in 1893. The number of schools assembling in rented schools has risen from 94 to 131, and the number of schools without residences from 400 to 450. At the end of the year seven boards had balances available for buildings amounting to £6202 8s sd, and the other six had liabilities unprovided for in this account amounting to £8943 14s lid. The distribution of the school buildings vote of 1893 was ,as follows i— Auckland, £BdOO ; Taranaki, £1375 ; Wanganui, £3375 ; Wellington, £4800 ; Hawke'a Bay, £2700 ; Marlborougb, £1050; Nelson, £2900; Grey, £1250; Westland, £900 ; North Canterbury, £6750 ; South Canterbury, £1750 ; Otago, £7000 ; Southland, £2875.

The following table shows the number of scholarships granted by boards under section 51 of "The Education Act 1877" and the consequent expenditure : —