3

E.—la

The number of failures every year is very considerable. In this statement no account is taken of cases of failure on the part of those who have been examined for promotion. At the last examination there were 196 failures of candidates for Class E, and 7 failures of candidates for Class D who had not been previously admitted to Class E. Many of these candidates have failed again and again. The number of persons who have failed once or oftener is 527. This includes the 203 whose last (or sole) failure occurred at the last examination, and 324 others whose last (or sole) failures occurred in preceding years as follows : 32 in 1879, 69 in 1880, 54 in 1881, 72 in 1882, 28 in 1883, 34 in 1884, and 35 in January, 1885. Of the 527 persons who have failed once or oftener, 315 have failed once, 136 twice, 34 three times, 25 four times, 11 five times, 3 six times, 1 seven times, and 2 eight times. Of the 203 who failed at the last examination, 125 failed once only, 46 have failed twice, 13 three times, 10 four times, 3 five times, 3 six times, 1 seven times, and 2 eight times. Of the same 203 persons, 114 were at the time engaged in the service of the Boards as teachers, and 48 as pupil-teachers ; 6 were normal-school students, 8 had been normalschool students, and 3 had been pupil-teachers: there were only 23 that were apparently not connected with the public-school system. Out of the whole list of 527 persons that have altogether failed there are only 137 that were not in the service of the Boards at the time of examination, and many even of these had previously been pupil-teachers or normal-school students. It would be interesting to know what advantages those teachers who have certificates enjoy over such as have failed to obtain them ; but I cannot, without holding this report back too long, arrive at an accurate statement as to the relation between certificates and salaries. I observe, however, that candidates sometimes retain their appointments after five, six, seven, or eight failures ; and that a teacher, with a D 2 certificate and £40 a year, is assistant to a head teacher with £140 a year, who has failed three times, and has not yet passed for Class E. I have, &c, Wm. Jas. Habens, The Hon. the Minister of Education. Inspector-General of Schools.

Table I. —Candidates for Completion of Former Examination.

Table II.—Candidates for Full Examination.

© a^ o H Candidates. H3 d 3 u p --1 d E 3 eg Si s o re .5 M W O g o a 39 H O o 'A o -^» q a Q d o OS a a i a d o 01 P. '3 0 a; </> d o n at o U) +-> O 1 4 2 92 For Class A—Passed .. For Class B—Passed .. Failed .. For Class C—Failed .. For Class D—Passed .. Passed for E Failed .. Absent .. For Class E—Passed .. Failed .. Absent .. 1 3 35 4 ■ • I 1 2 42 1 •■ 1 1 7 1 I 13 J 1 13 19 2 1 '2 3 1 3 5 1 •• ! 1 : 3 3 1 1 7 1 13 1 6 14 3 1 1 1 2 1 •• .. 1 ■• I .. 1 1 11 2 8 5 7 12 1 i .. 3 1 2 2 5 1 11 2 4 1 3 3 5 4 2 1 i 2 1 i 2 44 132 70 18 i 2 I ■' Totals 87 115 29 58 7 15 3 1 j 47 6 I 4! I I 3 48 14 231 12 13

© o H Candidates. m m <o 6 t> d Is -t-> 9 % o w '3 d q a © D a E a I B a o m 1 - « ,0 fcfl P o Ja 3 O t O 3 n o O 03 a a _^ a o 02 9 GO a Eh CO & < d c m O 'A 9 U o o O 190 For Class D—Passed Passed for Class E* Partially successful Ditto for Class E .. Failed completely Absent For Class E —Passed Partially successful Failed completely Absent 15 40 [31] 48 2 2 12 13 1 14 10 15 36 74 16 1 1 3 "s 1 1 1 1 3 5 8 6 3 i' i' i 6 13 17 1 11 3 3 13 24 4 32 61 24 1 1 1 3 2 5 3 7 3 2 2 i" i' 3 15 5 5 17 16 5 5 2 1 3 3 i i i 4 1 7 17 2 369 ioi 3 14 3 6 13 3 5 4 i" 4 10 2 2 11 1 195 41 i* 559 Totals 87 151 + 31 250 65 193 21 26 27 16 4 24 82 22 10 10 95 29 » Thirty-one of the candidates that passed for Class E were also partially successful in the Examination for Class D,