39

E.—l

Rate of Capitation payable on Free Pupils, &c. —continued. Net Annual Capitation Total Income Income per Head. per Free Pupil. per Pupil. £3 .. .. £9/16 .. £12/16 £2 .. .. £10/14 .. £12/14 £1 .. .. £11/12 .. £12/12 Nil .. .. £12/10 .. £12/10 There is the further proviso that in no case shall the capitation be less than £6 for every free place given in excess of the number of scholarships which a secondary school would be bound to give if it did not provide free places. Table J4 in E.-6 shows the operation of the former scale, in which the maximum rate of capitation was £10 155., upon the finances of the secondary schools : it will be seen at once that, allowing the same rate of expenditure, the'amended scale will place the poorly endowed schools in a far more favourable position —it will enable them to increase their efficiency by adding to their staffs, and, what is at least equally important, by raising the salaries paid to assistants, which are now in many cases far too low. For the whole Dominion, if there are taken into account only the secondary schools that admit free pupils under the Act, we find from Table ,14 (E.-6) the following state of things : — Total number of pupils, excluding lower departments . . .. 3,614 Total net income from endowments (average of three years) .. .. £11,105 Net income from endowments per head .. .. .. .. £3-07 Approximate annual rate of capitation .. .. .. .. £9-16 Total available net income per head for salaries and management .. £12-23 Total expenditure on salaries of staff .. .. . . .. £42,929 ~ management.. .. .. .. .. £2,798 ~ staff salaries, and management.. .. .. £45,727 Expenditure per head on staff salaries .. .. .. . . £11-88 ~ on management .. .. . . .. .. £0-77 Total expenditure per head on staff salaries, and management.. . . £12-65 The last figure given shows as nearly as may be the actual cost per annum for each pupil, exclusive of those in lower departments. If we include all the secondary schools this average becomes £13*43 per head. Further details of the income and expenditure of the secondary schools will be found in Tables J5 and ,16 of E.-6, and H7 shows the several lower departments in operation at the close of the year, with the number of pupils, the proportionate expenditure on salaries, and the fees received for the pupils therein. General Remarks. Length of Time spent at Secondary Schools. —The average time spent at a New Zealand secondary school by each pupil who enters is about two and a half years. This is greater than the average duration of a pupil's stay at a high school in New York (2 - 04 years) or in Chicago (2 - 09 years) ; but less than the corresponding period in England (about 3| years), Scotland (about 3 years), or Germany (about 4j years). On the other hand the proportion of the population receiving secondary education at any one time in New Zealand is considerably larger than in Great Britain, although less than it is in Germany, Switzerland, and some other European countries. Economic reasons are, no doubt, to some extent at the root of the difference ; indeed, for a young country, the average length of a pupil's course in our secondary schools may be considered fair. It is not, however, long enough to secure the greatest benefit to the community from the secondary-school system, and every effort should be made to extend it. Among other things, the raising of the standard of the University Matriculation Examination, and still more the acceptance of a certificate of four years' satisfactory work in a secondary school as a qualification for admission to the University, would tend to increase the duration of secondary-school life, and to raise the standard of work both in the secondary schools and in the University colleges. Allotment of Time to Subjects.—h\ the thirty schools of which account is taken the allotment of time to the several main subjects on the average is as follows :— English .. .. ~ .. .. .. 4-8 hours per week. French .. .. .. .. .. ..3-4 Latin (generally non-compulsory) . . .. .. 4-4 Arithmetic .. .. .. .. .. .. 2-6 ~ Mathematics (exclusive of arithmetic) .. .. .. 4-7 ~ Science .. .. ~ .. .. .. 3-0 ~