E.—l

2

A return of the schools in the several education districts, with a statement of the expenditure on each for the year, and of the names, status, and rates of emolument of the teachers employed in them during the last quarter of the year, is appended (Appendix, Table No. 9). The following is a summary of the number of schools in the several education districts :—

TABLE A.—Number of Schools open during the Last Quarter of 1880. (In this enumeration every two half-time schools are reckoned as one school.)

Section 88 of the Act authorises Boards to assist small schools " started by private enterprise in outlying districts, which it would be premature or inconvenient to constitute school districts." At the close of 1879 there were 39 such schools, and the number had increased to 59 in the last quarter of 1880. The largest proportion of aided schools is in the Education District of Westland, where 18 out of the 34 schools are of this description. The Board in its annual report states the reasons which have led to this state of matters. The number of half-time schools in 1880 was about the same as in the previous year. This class of schools is generally regarded with disfavour by parents, from a feeling that the children attending them do not receive their due share of a teacher's time and attention. The Taranaki Board states in its report, " Halftime schools are very unpopular ; but the Board has found it necessary, owing to diminished funds, to revert to them again." It is only by means of half-time and aided schools that Boards can, Avith the means at their disposal, fairly overtake the educational wants of the children resident in sparsely-peopled localities, many of which are to be found in the Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, Westland, and Southland Districts. Section 88 of the Act also authorises the employment by Boards of " itinerant teachers " for outlying districts. The Auckland Board is the only one that has employed this agency; there being one itinerant teacher in the Wairoa North district, and another on Great Barrier Island. Eight small schools were permanently closed during 1880, as compared with 16 during the previous year. Number of Teachers. The number of teachers employed in the public schools during the last quarter of 1880 is returned at 1,971, being 198 in excess of the number engaged during the corresponding quarter of the previous year. They have been classified as follows: Masters, 687; assistant-masters, 130; male pupil-teachers, 139; mistresses, 373 ; assistant-mistresses, 209 ; and female pupil-teachers, 433. In addition to the teachers above enumerated there were 127 work-mistresses, whose duties are confined to the giving of lessons in sewing, knitting, &c, to girls during a portion of the school-hours. They are employed almost solely in the smaller schools which have not an attendance sufficient to warrant the employment of a

Education Dis-bicts. .2 3 H3 3 i1 . ft u O 01 _i5 ft O 3 o CO ffi _ a 3 _ .g <_> o B -a £ B g 3© eg h 5 o t, .5 s2 __ O 2^ on" <»B _ _ « b _ °s _ _ a £h < a_ *P* ft & 3 O ft (M 3 nd 1= s Number of Schools in wl ft ft 3 3 ft ft io I O ?q ' io u _, v - *3 I T_ fl ! fl 3 ! 3 a I A _ I ~ o IO lieh the Attendance for the Quarter was ft ft >o u <a ts 3 3 •n 3 © IO ft 3 ft O © u 3 3 -O ft ft O to <a ra s a -d p. e_ o © ft 3 ft 5 co 4i a p nS 3 oS o IO ft 3 ft © © r-i <u t3 fl t3 n cS o o so ieS !* ft 3 13 a c_ 'ft 3 © O IO o CO Jh 0 3 9 o 3 jz. _2 fIs si. *S u 13 *- <. a O os co o ' Is? ._: on o-H cf _.~ «>s °g ll 1 3 Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson North Canterbury _ South Canterbury Westland Otago... Southland 193 31 55 43 36 16 65 122 29 34 152 CO 11,839 1,147 3,403 4,685 2,334 883 3,008 12,233 2,616 2,447 16,047 3,765 64,407 61-3 37'0 62-0 109-0 64-8 55-2 463 100-2 90-2 72-0 105-5 62-7 17 2 1 1 2 1 1 3 2 4 26 5 6 4 4 3 11 4 3 4 7 3 24 2 5 6 4 2 9 12 2 3 14 7 75 16 24 13 11 5 21 44 11 12 57 32 13 5 5 2 5 3 13 17 4 3 20 6 13 1 4 5 3 10 2 2 14 4 10 1 8 2 3 1 6 16 1 2 11 4 8 4 5 1 1 5 2 2 16 2 5 i 6 i 5 1 2 7 2 2 1 6 1 30 8 2 12 10 6 2 4 "i 2 "i "<3 "•4 18 1 10 Totals 836 77-0 34 80 90 321 96 58 65 46 30 16 44 59 8