35

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ance at many of the schools was not good. The fact that the average attendance is highest during the December quarter shows that parents pay attention to the regularity of their children's attendance just previous to the annual visit. Information crammed for a purpose forms no part of true education. If the work is not carried on regularly throughout the year weakness will soon appearance. Teachers have the remedy in their own hands. Promotion from class to class should be gained only by showing good work at each of the periodical examinations. While on this subject of periodical examinations I should like to point out " that the written questions used, and the pupils answers thereto, must be kept in the school for reference till the next annual visit." It is not too much to ask that, for the purpose of reference, these be neatly arranged. Often I have been unable to obtain the questions set at one of these examinations, or a boy's answers have been lost. The tabulation of these results is too often conspicuous by absence. From the above table it will be seen that the average age of the children in the various standards is very close to the average age for the colony. The following list shows the efficiency marks in the various subjects : Satisfactory—reading, spelling, writing, needlework ; fair — arithmetic, composition, drawing, drill, singing, recitation; moderate—geography, grammar, history, science. Classification of schools —4 good, 10 satisfactory, 10 fair, 9 weak. It affords me great pleasure to be able to report that the work in many of the schools shows a decided improvement. The teachers have entered into their work with a will, and there have been fewer breaks in attendance throughout the year. Probably the lengthening of the midsummer holidays from four to five weeks has had its effect; there is not the feverish desire to close the school on each and every occasion. Owing to the date of the annual visit being somewhat earlier than in the previous year the number of half-days on which the schools have been opened does not in all cases show above 400. Unless the school has been closed through sickness during the year the number should be 420, and, where it has not reached near that number, I have in all cases demanded an explanation. Reading has shown most improvement during the year, and, with increased reading-matter to be used during the coming year, I shall look for still further improvement. The comprehension of the reading-matter still leaves much to be desired. Although at my inspection visits I urged teachers not to be content with the meaning of a word as given by a pupil, but to ask for its use in a sentence, great weakness was shown when the use of simple words was asked for at the annual visit. This is a point I should like teachers to specially note. A pupil does not thoroughly understand a word unless he can use it in a sentence. This use of words must be given by the juniors as well as by the seniors. Previous complaints about the teaching of writing appear to have roused some of the teachers to their responsibilities. Not that the subject is by any means well taught in many of our schools, but in several there is a big improvement. Incorrect posture and improper holding of the pen are to me signs of weak discipline. Teachers know what is required ; if they do not insist upon its being done, they are to blame. In the teaching of writing in the lower standards there is often no system. Children that have been at school but a very short time are found writing words that contain some of the most difficult elements. Plenty of practice in the various elements is what is required, and occasionally the seniors might be given practice in the various formations. The papers done during the examination are usually very neat: at only a few schools have I had occasion to find fault on account of untidiness. The most disappointing subject is arithmetic, and I hope that with a somewhat lightened syllabus in the subject, teachers will this year make a big effort to improve it. By the simple mental tests used at the last examination I think I have convinced teachers that one of the weaknesses lies in this direction. These exercises will be continued and extended. In a previous report I pointed out that tables should be more extensively used for all classes. It is annoying to find a Sixth Standard pupil using his slate to find the value of 0 - 625 of £1. These simple decimals should be as well known to him as is the multiplication table to his younger brother. There is far to much slate-work ; much too little mental work. Parents complain that even the elder pupils are unable to reckon the cost of a few articles, or to tell whether a bill is correct, without the use of pen or pencil. Let teachers then attend to the mental work. Again, let there be plenty of blackboard demonstration, the why and the wherefore of each step thoroughly explained : let the pupil work on the blackboard, and explain to the others the reason of each step. Above all, let us have the arithmetic intelligently set out; let the pupils write opposite to each line what that line means. Then we shall not have a jumble of meaningless figures as the result of an hour and a half's work at a simple test card. Owing to the fact that many of our teachers had had little or no training in drawing the full syllabus in all cases has not been demanded. Last year, however, classes in drawing were conducted for upwards of six months, and teachers must understand that they have now no excuse for not attempting all the work. Teachers have complained that the work in geography under the old syllabus was more than they could reasonably do : certainly it was seldom well done. Under the new syllabus they have quite a new field to work in, and it remains for them to show that they are equal to the task. To those who still think the work too heavy, my advice is, do as much as you can ; but remember that whatever is done must be intelligently done. A great amount of it is observation-work. Text-books may be a guide, but that is all. If the children have not observed and inferred the result will not be satisfactory. While on the subject of the new syllabus I should like to point out that the teacher's work is what it has always been. The greater part of his time will be devoted to the teaching of English and arithmetic, and he who leads his pupils to do good work in these important subjects will have done a fair amount of what is required. I have, &c, The Chairman, Grey Education Board. H. Smith, 8.A., Inspector.