EDUCATION REPORT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11056, 23 August 1907, Page 5

EDUCATION REPORT.

(From our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The third annual report of the Minister for Education was presented yesterday afternoon. Briefly summarised the report shows there wcre'lß47 public schools open at the end of 1906, including 94 part-time schools, a total increase of 41 on the end of 1905. The total average attendance for the 3'oar was 121.958, an increase of 1693. For every 100 boys on the rolls there were 92 girls. The tendency for the past few years has been for the number of childien m the preparatory classes to increase m unuue proportion to the total number of children under eight years. The number of school teachers m our primary schools numbered 3872, of whom 3201 were adults. It is a matter of regret that whereas the number of fully. , quali-' fied teachers for thc last three years decreased from 2482 to 2418, the number of uncertificated teacherg increased frorh 546 to 789, the latter being chiefly employed m small schools, 'lhe supply of certificated teachers m the colony is leas tluin the demand ifor new adult teachers to take places previously filled by pupil teachers. Unfortunately the shortage still exists, but all four training colleges are now at work, and it is hoped there will soon be sufficient qualified teachers to gradually take the place of uncertificated ones. Last year £33,747 was spent m training over 200 teachers. Tlie Minister is gratified to note, m view of the dearth of male teachers, the proportion of male to women m the training colleges bus risen from 27 to 34 per cent. The expenditure on teachers' salaries ' was £472,255, an increase of nearly £46,000. .A ye considerable advance hag been made throughout the colony m respect to manual technical . instruction 1 Tlie total number of contributors to tlie teachers' superannuation fund m March last was 2812. Thc retirements numbered 127. Tliere was a credit balance m the fund of £34.733.