E.—l.

Staffs of Public Schools. The number of teachers in the public schools, exclusive of those employed in the secondary departments of district high schools in December, 1907, and December, 1908, respectively, was as follows : — TABLE E. —Number of Teachers employed. Adults,— 1907. 1908. Men .. .. .. . • 1,332 1,331 Decrease 1 Women .. .. .. 1,955 2,021 Increase 66 Total .. .. .. 3,287 3,352 Increase 65 Pupil-teachers, — Male .. .. .. ..172 161 Decrease, 11 Female .. .. .. 478 476 Decrease 2 Total .. .. ..650 637 Decrease 13 All teachers, — Male .. .. .. .. 1,504 1,492 Decrease 12 Female .. -.. .. 2,433 2,497 Increase 64 Total .. .. .. 3,937 3,989 Increase, 52 For the schools above Grade 0 having only one teacher—that is, schools with 16 to 40 children in average attendance —the average number of children per teacher —or, in other words, per school—was 24-80. Taking all schools with two or more teachers, we find that the average number of pupils per adult teacher, if we reckon two pupil-teachers as equivalent to one adult, was 42-51 ; and with the same assumption the average for all schools of Grade 1 and upwards was 38-42. Omitting teachers of schools of Grade 0, the ratio of adult men teachers to adult women teachers in 1908 was 100 to 126 ; in 1907 it was 100 to 124. The rise in the proportion of male pupil-teachers, which had been steady during the previous five years, was arrested in 1908, when the ratio of male pupil-teachers to female pupil-teachers was 1 to 2-96, as against 1 to 2-77 in 1907. It may he interesting to note the corresponding proportions for primary-school teachers, secondary teachers in district high schools and secondary schools (exclusive of visiting teachers), and for students in training colleges, respectrv ely :— Number oj Women Teachers or Students per Hundred Men Teachers or Students (omitting Teachers of Schools in Grade 0). 1906. 1907. 1908. Adult primary teachers . ... . . 125 '124 126 Pupil-teachers .. .. .. .. 339 277 296 Secondary teachers .. .. 80 77 76 Training-college students .. .. 350 315 286 All teachers and students . . .. 148 142 144 In other words, out of a total of 4,105 persons engaged in the above-named branches of the teaching profession there were in 1908, 1,683 men and 2,422 women. Remembering that a much larger number of women than of men leaves the profession after a few years of service, we may form some idea of the extent to which New Zealand has been affected by the general tendency all over the world towards the increase of women in the teaching profession. So far as can te gathered from the reports received from England, Scotland, and the United States, the following statement shows the number of women teachers per hundred men teachers : — England.* Scotland.-)- United SUtes.J Adult primary teachers . . .. .. 329 252 | goo Pupil-teachers 386 456 ) Secondary teachers .. .. • • § § 117 Training-college students ' .. ..212 396 321 Full details of the primary staffs of the public schools in the several education districts are given in Table El of the report on primary education (E.-2). * Figures for 1908-7, being last available. | Figures for 1907-8, J From report for 1907- § Not available.

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