E.—l.

The tendency for the last few years has been for the number of children in preparatory classes to increase in undue proportion to the total number of children under eight years of age. The figures for 1905 indicated that this tendency had received a check. The figures for 1906 confirm this view. In the proportion of children enrolled in preparatory classes, a further increase of I*oB per cent, is shown over the figures for 1905, but the returns record a much larger increase in the totals under seven years of age, in which an advance from 25,312 to 26,320 is to be noted, an increase of 387 per cent. Table D 2 gives the number of children on the rolls of the schools in each district and the number present at the time of the Inspector's annual visit, and also shows the number of certificates of proficiency and competency issued. From this it will be seen that 9,929 pupils were present at the annual examination in Standard VI, of which number 5,507, or 55-46 per cent., gained a certificate of proficiency, and 2,680, or 26-99 per cent., gained a certificate of competency; a total of 8,187, or 82-45 per cent., gaining either the proficiency or competency certificate. For 1905 the respective percentages were 66-54, 17-85, and 84-31. The fall of 11 per cent, in the certificates of proficiency awarded is chiefly due to the stricter test imposed for that certificate, and this view is borne out by the fact that there is a difference of only 1-86 in the number of certificates awarded at both examinations last year ag compared with 1905.

TABLE D2. —Examination Statistics for 1906.

Table D 3 shows the average ages of the children in the several standards at the time of the Inspector's annual visit, also the mean of the average ages in each case for the colony as a whole. The average age of those in Standard V, the " standard of exemption," was in Grey 12 years and 3 months, and in Westland 13 years and 2 months, these being the lowest and highest respectively. For the colony the average age of the children in this standard in 1906 was 12 years and 11 months, about the same as that for the previous year.

TABLE D3 .—Average Age of Pupils in 1906 at the Time of Annual Visit.

viii

Number of Pupils. Standard VI Certificates granted. Education Districts. Total Rolls Present on Present in Present in on Day of Day of Preparatory Standard Annual Visit. Annual Visit. Classes. ' VI Classes. Present in Standard VII Classes. Pro- Compeficiency. tency. Total. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui .. Wellington .. Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson 32,697 5,079 12,645 16,809 9,057 2,030 5,595 1,590 1,047 19,620 5,149 19,413 9,653 30,955 4,805 11,975 15,741 8,455 1,925 5,335 1,540 1,000 18,617 4,830 18,693 9,230 11,395 1,526 3,867 4,589 2,738 489 1,672 624 347 5,888 1,460 6,053 2,851 2,104 313 848 1,343 481 168 485 110 73 1,430 398 1,427 749 134 87 224 541 124 36 88 19 48 329 132 366 197 1,437 86 349 809 245 48 195 70 59 810 182 867 ,350 443 182 263 369 132 28 162 38 10 442 145 326 140 1,880 268 612 1,178 377 76 357 108 69 1,252 327 1,193 490 Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland .. Totals 140,384 43,499 2,680 8,187+ 133,101 9,929 2,325* 5,507 ♦(Including secondary departments o! -hildren of Maori and mixed races is shown district high si in Table B4. ;hools. I The number of certificates included in this total granted to

Education Districts. Average Aj ;es of the •upils in ei ich Class. Mean if Ages. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland P. Yrs. mos. 6 4 7 0 6 11 6 11 6 10 7 1 6 10 6 9 6 8 7 0 6 11 6 11 7 0 I. Yrs. mos. 9 3 9 0 9 0 8 8 8 11 8 11 8 10 8 8 9 1 9 0 8 10 8 11 8 10 II. Yrs. mos. 10 2 10 2 9 11 9 10 10 1 9 8 9 8 10 0 9 9 10 1 10 0 9 11 9 11 III. Yrs. mos. 11 2 11 3 11 0 10 11 11 1 10 11 10 11 10 7 11 6 11 1 11 0 11 0 11 0 IV. Yrs. mos. 12 1 12 5 12 1 11 11 11 11 11 9 11 11 11 9 12 2 12 1 12 0 12 0 11 11 V. Yrs. mos. 13 0 13 0 12 11 12 9 12 11 13 0 12 11 12 3 13 2 13 0 12 11 12 10 12 9 VI. Yrs. mos. 13 10 13 11 13 8 13 8 14 0 13 9 13 8 13 8 13 5 13 9 13 8 13 8 13 8 VII. Yrs. mos. 15 11 15 2 14 11 14 7 14 11 14 9 14 8 14 8 15 9 14 9 15 1 14 11 14 10 1906. Yrs. mos. 11 6 11 6 11 4 11 2 11 4 11 3 11 2 11 1 11 5 11 4 11 4 11 2 11 3 1905. Yrs. mos. 11 4 11 5 11 4 11 2 11 4 11 3 11 3 11 2 11 5 11 3 11 3 11 4 11 3 Average for colony 6 9 9 0 10 0 11 1 12 0 12 11 13 9 15 1 11 4 Range (difference between highest and lowest) Average for colony, 1905 0 9 0 7 0 6 0 11 0 8 0 11 0 7 1 4 0 5 11 3 7 1 8 11 10 0 11 1 12 0 12 10 13 9 14 9 Range (difierenoe between highest and loweBt) 0 8 0 6 0 9 0 7 0 4 0 8 0 5 1 2 0 3