11

E.—l

nature-study are being issued separately on cards, as aids to oral instruction on modern lines in these subjects. Up to the present—June, 1910 —the following series have appeared: Twenty-four pictures illustrating great British battles, forty illustrations of New Zealand flora, twenty-four of New Zealand geography, eight dealing with the lives of Captain Cook and Lord Nelson, twenty-eight of the geography of the British Isles, and twenty illustrating life on H.M.S. "New Zealand"; also a coloured wall-sheet illustrating the lives of Lord Nelson and Captain Cook. Further reference to the Journal is made in E.-2. Among other pictures the Department proposes to issue shortly is a comprehensive series of historical pictures, which, it is hoped, will enable history to be taught pictorially and effectively. Among other publications of general interest that are in preparation, and will appear shortly, are: " A Manual of New Zealand Mollusca," by H. Suter; "New Zealand Plants and their Story," by Dr. L. Cockayne; "Geology of New Zealand," by Dr. P. Marshall; New Zealand Flora plates, published in connection with Cheeseman's " Manual of New Zealand Flora." The departmental library contains a large number of educational books and papers, most of which are available on loan for Inspectors, primary or secondary teachers, and others interested in education. 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, 1908, and December, 1909, respectively, was as follows : — TABLE E.—Number of Teachers employed. Adults, — 1908. 1909. Men .. .. .. 1,331 1,406 Women .. .. .. .. 2,021 2,208 Total .. .. .. .. 3,352 3,614 Pupil-teachers,— Male .. .. .. .. ..161 166 Female .. .. .. 476 530 Total .. .. .. 637 696* All teachers, — Male .. .. .. .. .. 1,492 1,572 Female .. .. .. .. 2,497 2,738 Total .. .. .. .. 3,989 4,310 For the schools above Grade I having only one teacher—that is, schools with 16 to 35 children in average attendance—the average number of children per teacher —or, in other words, per school—was 24-13. 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 40*44 ; and with the same assumption the average for all schools of Grade II and upwards was 37*60. Omitting teachers of schools below Grade 11, the ratio of adult men teachers to adult women teachers in 1909 was 100 to 140 ; in 1908 it was 100 to 126. The proportion of men to women in charge of schools of Grade I and Grade 0 has increased from 71 out of a total of 504 in 1908 to 138 out of 569 in 1909. If we include all public schools and all adult teachers, we find that the ratio of adult men teachers to adult women teachers was 100 to 152 in 1908, and 100 to 157 in 1909. The increase in the proportion of women employed in the profession is more than accounted for by the number of assistant mistresses appointed in 1909 to schools having thirty -

* Exclusive of 25 male, and 139 female probationers.