E.—2.

that they should have charge of a class, nor are they to be engaged in teaching — even of small sections and under supervision — for more than fifteen hours a week. Probationership will thus form a bridge between the secondary school or district high school and the training college. (4.) Every side school must be staffed as fully as if it were a main school, even if this means the addition of one or more teachers to the number warranted by the combined attendance of the main and side schools. Although the improved staffing may not be quite as liberal as might be imagined in an ideal system, it will more nearly approach in numerical strength the scales which obtain in those countries that are most advanced in matters of education ; for instance, the average number of children per adult teacher is in— Roll Number. Average Attendance. England .. .. .. .. .. .. 49-8 40-8 Wales .. .. .. .. .. .. 45-4 34-8 Scotland .. .. .. .. .. .. 40-2 34-9 Switzerland (including Geneva Canton). .■ .. .. 44-9 44-0 Canton of Geneva .. .. .. .. .. 29-9 29-3 United States (city schools) .. .. .. .. 35-4 24-9 New Zealand (under the new scale in schools 201-700) .. 47-9 ■ 41-9 Salaries of Teachers. At the rate paid in December, 1908, the total amount of all salaries and allowances paid to teachers and pupil-teachers was £503,362 ; the average rate per teacher (including pupil-teachers) was therefore £126 3s. 9d., as compared with £126 17s. Id. in December, 1907. A fairer idea could be gained by excluding teachers in Grade 0 schools and pupil-teachers, and by deducting the house allowances that are payable to head teachers for whom residences are not provided. We then find that the average net salaries of adult teachers in the last three years (in December of each year) have been as follows:— i 906. 1907. 1908. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Men .. .. .. 189 18 2 192 9 3 195 1 0 Women .. .. .. 116 7 3 115 0 3 115 13 5 All adults .. .. 149 3 7 148 17 7 148 8 1 These salaries will be considerably higher under the new Act, although the large increase of comparatively junior teachers substituted for the pupil-teachers will to a certain extent counteract the tendency to a rise in the general average salary. Under the same Act there is introduced the principle of annual increments to salaries, which operate in each grade until the maximum salary for the grade is reached. Status of Teachers in Regard to Certificates. The numbers of certificated teachers and uncertificated teachers respectively employed in primary work in the several education districts will appear in Table E2, a summary of which for the whole Dominion is given below, as at 31st December, in each of the years 1905 to 1908 inclusive :—

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I 1905. 1906. 1907. 1908. I. Certificated teachers, — Adults Pupil-teachers 2,460 13 2,412 6 2,422 14 2,451 2 Total 2,473 2,418 2,436 2,453 I. Uncertificated teachers, — (a.) Holding partial qualifications,— (i.) Holders of licenses (ii.) Others partially qualified 270 90 227 134 178 142 99 167 Total of (a.) .. 360 361 320 266 (b.) Having no recognised examination status 320 428 545 635 Total number of uncertificated teachers .. 680 789 865 901 Total primary teachers 3,153 3,207 3,301 3,354