B.—l.

TABLE C1. —Classification by Standards, December, 1903.

When the total number of children under eight years of age in the public schools (39,404) is taken into account the number in the preparatory classes (36,812) certainly seems high, and, as remarked in last year's report, " It should be possible by improved methods, and perhaps also by employing a larger proportion of adult teachers in the infant classes, to lessen this apparent defect without in any way overtaxing the children."

TABLE C2.—Passes in Standards, 1903.

Table C2 gives the passes in standards. The proportion of the number that passed in standards to the number present at the Inspectors' annual visits was 85'4 per cent. In 1902 the corresponding figures were 94 - 2 per cent. The proportion of the number that passed the various standards to the total number on the rolls on the days of the Inspectors' annual visits was 53 - 4 per cent. In 1902 the corresponding figures were 54 - 5 per cent. In Table C3 are given the percentages of passes of those examined (or present) in the standard classes and other examination statistics for the several education districts of the colony.

TABLE C3.—Examination Statistics for 1903.

V

Standard Classes. Boys. Girls. Totals. 'ercent; iges for Fi'e Years. Preparatory SI S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 19,528 8,255 8,480 8,893 8,408 7,634 5,650 2,683 17,284 7,532 7,951 8,134 7,996 7,036 5,138 2,966 36,812 15,787 16,431 17,027 16,404 14,670 10,788 5,649 1903. 27-56 11-82 12-30 12-75 12-28 10-98 8-08 4-23 1902. 26-87 11-68 12-05 12-64 12-60 11-13 8-52 4-51 1901. 26-78 11-44 12-11 12-98 12-73 11-37 8-35 4-24 1900. 26-00 11-54 12-25 13-45 13-38 11-44 7-91 4-03 1899. 25-09 1206 12-44 14-00 13-65 11-06 7-63 4-07 Totals.. 64,037 100-00 100-00 69,531 133,568 100-00 100-00 100-00

Education Districts. I. 'resent at Inspect! >rs' Annual Visits. IV. V. i I • I. II. Passes in Standards. III. IV. V. VI. II. III. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland 3,315 588 1,398 1,722 1,008 258 612 163 84 2,039 529 2,147 1,074 3,343 644 1,454 1,880 . 1,081 262 570 107 124 2,154 517 2,230 1,028 15,457 15,531 3,546 587 1,438 : 1,935 1,002 238 698 182 113 2,344 566 2,362 1,144 116,155 116, 252 3,174 571 1,402 1,778 1,015 231 673 167 132 2,311 601 2,331 1,084 15,470 15,567 2,699 367 1,048 1,519 739 233 499 137 96 2,012 539 2,020 983 1,975 3,234 214 504 747 I 1,330 1,158 i 1,648 541 887 163 250 431 i 496 122 ! 146 78 83 1,401 1,932 408 491 1,521 2,019 720 1,009 9,479 14,029 9,352 13,778 3,118 543 1,340 1,705 935 252 505 146 105 1,925 475 2,035 969 3,196 477 1,262 1,648 814 218 568 152 102 1,885 490 1.935 1,010 13,757 13,920 2,793 398 1,217 1,502 823 212 533 134 111 i 1,809 491 1,874 927 2,283 261 921 1,240 572 207 364 112 75 1,494 417 1,535 833 1,491 154 604 946 374 131 278 75 57 1,103 279 1,069 524 Totals for 1903 .. Totals for 1902 .. 14,937 14,628 12,891 13,278 14,053 14,170 12,824 13,006 10,314 10,788 7,085 7,168

Number of Pupils. Number passed in Standard Classes. Education Districts. Total Number on Rolls on Days of Examination. Absent on In Passed Examined in Days of Preparatory Sixth Standard Examination. Classes. Standard. Classes. Percentage of Passes to those examined. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland 29,817 4,798 11,924 15,787 8,375 1,970 5,581 1,594 1,050 19,607 4,995 19,968 9,588 1,916 348 848 1,064 626 45 454 81 73 1,846 474 1,109 410 9,527 1,412 3,223 4,212 2,254 501 1,499 520 315 5,281 1,221 5,816 2,945 322 67 366 519 106 39 145 55 35 219 140 432 200 18,052 2,971 7,487 9,992 5,389 1,385 3,483 938 627 12,261 3,160 12,611 6,033 16,115 2,337 6,674 8,689 4,405 1,270 2,744 765 533 10,148 2,643 10,467 5,272 89-3 78-7 89-1 87-0 81-7 91-7 78-8 81-6 85-0 82-8 83-6 830 87-4 Totals for 1903 .. 2,645 84,389 72,062 85-4 135,054 9,294 38,726 Totals for 1902 .. 84,608 72,830 86-1 133,700 7,722 38,750 2,620