THE EDUCATION REPORT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2200, 30 April 1896, Page 23

THE EDUCATION REPORT.

CFaoM Ova Own Correspondent.) Wbllington, April 24. The Rev. Mr fi*bens,to-d*y gave me a glimpse of his annual report- on the position of tke public schools ef the colony which he has just prepared for the printer in readinesi for presentation to Parliament during the coming seision. At the end of tha year ending December last there were 129.856 children attending the public schools ef the colony as againtit 127,300 in the pr«vi«us year, an increase of 2556. The averag« attendance for tho whale of 1895 was 106 622 as compared with 103,490 in 1894, aad tbe average attendance for the ia«t quarter of 1895 was 107,222, and in 1894, 106,151. The average attendance of pupils on the roll for the - year was 81*4. ■ The number of public schools in ths colouy at the end of 1895 was 1464 /as agaiuat 1410 in 1894 The number of te«oaors and pupil teachers is 3386, of whom 1372 are male and 2114 female. This is exclusive of 190 lewinj mistresies. The total income of the education boards of the colony during 1895 wv £467.943, and in 1894 it was £4.45,940.

Tae nusabsr of children on the books of the industrial schools of the colony was reduced during the year from 1555 to 1545. Of the 1545, 416 were boarded out, 560 were in the schools, 539 w«re out at service or with friends or otherwise away from the schools under the guardianship of < managers. Tbe number of axJmitS'ons for the year was 175, and the discharges 185. Of the 175 admissions 86 were admitted as destitute, 14 as vagrants, 18 as living in disreputable places, 2 as uncontrollable, 51 «s guilty of punishable offences, and 4 by arrangement with friends. There were 69 Native village, schools in the colony at the end of the year with pupils numbering 2675 and 126 teachers, besides sewing mistresses. Nine per cent, of the children attending the Native schools were halfcastes. In 76 per cent. Maori blood predominated, and in 15 per cent. European blood predominated.