E.—2.

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 be 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, respectively :— Number of 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. Eemembering 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 be 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.l United States. J Adult primary teachers .. .. .. 329 252 I 000 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. [The relieving-teachers appointed by several of the Boards are not included in Table El, or in the summary given above, but will be found in Table 1 of the Appendix.] The Education Act of last session will, among other things, improve the staffing of the public schools in the following respects :— (1.) It gives an assistant as soon as a school reaches an average attendance of 36, instead of 41 as heretofore : this amendment comes into force at once. The other amendments will operate gradually ; the chief are, — (2.) A second assistant is given at 81, whereas the second increase of staff under the principal Act was a pupil-teacher, given when there were 91 in average attendance. Similarly, the third and fourth assistants also will be adults, and will be employed when a school reaches 121 and 161 respectively. Hence the new staff for schools between 161 and 200 will in the future be a head teacher and four assistants, instead of a head teacher and three assistants (or a head teacher, two assistants, and two pupilteachers), which was the staffing under the former scale. (3.) In the schools with an average attendance above 200 the staff will be further strengthened by providing an adult teacher for every 50 or part of 50 children in average attendance, instead of an adult teacher or two pupilteachers for every 60 children. Thus, in a school of 601 to 660 the old staff was 9 adults and 6 pupil-teachers, equivalent to 12 adults; the new staff will consist of 14 adult teachers, as pupil-teachers will gradually disappear. The probationers who may be appointed under the Amendment Act are not to be counted on the regular staff of the school to which they are attached. Their appointment will be made simply for the purpose of ascertaining their fitness for the teaching profession, and of giving them some insight into the methods of teaching under actual conditions before they enter the training college; it is not intended

* Figures for 1906-7, being last available. f Figures for 1907-8. J From report for 1907. § Not available.

10