E.—2

6

TABLE C.—Age and Sex of Pupils, December, 1909.

Age. —Of the children in the public schools, 53 - 8 per cent, are under ten, and 46 - 2 are over that age ; the corresponding percentages for 1908 were 528 and 47"'2. The proportion of children under ten continues, as in past years, to show a slight increase. This is probably to be accounted for partly by the increase in the population of the Dominion, partly by the larger number entering the secondary schools, especially between the ages of thirteen and fourteen. Bex. —The proportion of boys to girls remains about the same as for the previous six years, 52-48 per cent, to 47 - 52 per cent. —that is, for every 100 boys on the roll there are 91 girls. The proportion is the same if we omit those over fifteen years of age. Now, according to the census of 1906 there were in New Zealand, between the ages of five and fifteen, 97 girls for every 100 boys. The difference in the proportion on the school rolls is partly accounted for by reference to the number enrolled between the ages of five and seven —for every 100 boys between these limits there are on the rolls of the public schools only 90 girls ; in other words, speaking generally, girls are not sent to school at so early an age as boys. The second important source of leakage is found between the ages of twelve and fifteen, where the ratio of girls to boys on the school rolls is 88 to 100 : this seems to mean that more girls than boys are taken away from the primary schools at the age-period named. The number of girls to every 100 boys between twelve and fifteen years of age at the secondary schools of the Dominion is only 63; so that the leakage is not accounted for in this direction. Apparently there are a certain number of parents who think that it is sufficient for a girl to have little more than half the amount of schooling that a boy receives. Attention was called to this fact in last year's report. Home reasons no doubt account for some cases, but probably the chief cause is the thoughtlessness of parents who consider education less important for girls than for boys. The obvious remedy would appear to be a stricter enforcement of the attendance sections of the Act. There would be less excuse, however, for thoughtless parents who withdraw their girls too soon from school attendance if it was an established practice in all schools to give practical domestic instruction to the elder girls. Table CI shows the age and sex of the pupils on the rolls of public schools in the several education districts at the end of 1909. Maori Children receiving Primary Instruction. Besides the children of Maori race who were receiving instruction in the Native schools at the end of 1909, there are a still larger number who are attending public schools; so that the total number of primary pupils of Maori race is 8,164, made up as follows : — Attending Native schools ... ... ... ... ... 3,730 Attending public schools ... ... ... ... ... 4,434 Total ... ... ... ... ... 8,164

Ages. Boys. Girls. Total. Percentages for Five Years. I I 5 and under 6 years .. 6 „ „ 7 „ 7 „ „ 8 „ 8 .. „ 9 . 9 „ . 10 „ 10 . . 11 „ 11 „ 12 „ 12 „ . 13 „ 13 „ .11. 14 . „ 15 „ .. 7,074 .. 8,602 .. 9,243 ! 8,991 .. 8,902 .. 8,540 8,891 .. 8,061 i .. 6,913 : .. 3,696 6,166 13,240 7,889 16,491 8,504 17,747 8,331 17,322 8,278 17,180 7,762 16,302 7,739 16,130 7,438 15,499 6,087 13,000 2,893 6,589 1(105. 8-1 10-3 114 11-5 115 11-3 11-2 10-6 8-3 39 1906. 1!X)7. 190H. 8-3 8-0 8-2 10-6 10-5 106 11-1 11-6 11-7 11-5 11-1 113 11-4 11-4 110 I 11-4 11-3 11-2 ! 11-1 110 109 10-5 10-5 104 8-3 8-7 8-4 4'0 4-0 4-2 1909. 8-7 10-8 11-6 11-4 11-2 107 10-6 10-'2 85 4-3 15 and over 78,413 1,574 71,087 1,342 149,500 2,916 98-1 I-β 98-2 1-8 98*1 1-9 97 9 2-1 98-0 2-0 j Totals .. .. 79,987 72,429 152,416 100-0 1000 1000 1000 1000