E.—l

If we take into consideration the corresponding proportion for primary-school teachers, secondary teachers in district high schools, and secondary schools (exclusive of part-time teachers), and for students in training colleges respectively, we have:— Number of Women Teachers or Students 'per Hundred Men Teachers or Students (omitting Teachers of Schools with 15 or less in Average Attendance). 1906. 1907. 1908. 1909. 1910. 1911. Adult primary teachers .. 125 124 126 140 141 142 Pupil-teachers .. ..339 277 296 319 302 295 Secondary teachers 80 77 76 82 85 84 Training-college students .. 350 315 285 280 219 197 All teachers and students 148 142 144 158 156 155 In other words, out of a total of 4,814 persons engaged in the above-named branches of the teaching profession, there were, in 1911, 1,889 men and 2,925 women. It will be interesting to see how these figures compare with those from othei parts of the world—England, Scotland, and the United States, for instance. In comparing this Dominion with such old-established countries, it is necessary to bear in mind that in the latter, the population being comparatively dense and the means of communication—the roads and railways—being more complete and efficacious, there are few schools corresponding to our Grade 0 or Grade I schools. Accordingly such schools are not taken into consideration in the New Zealand figures. England. Scotland. United States. New Zealand. Adult primary teachers. . .. 314 245 368 142 Pupil-teachers .. ..313 449 * 295 Secondary teachers .. 95 * 121 84 Training-college students .. 211 389 365 197 * Figures not available. Full details of the primary staffs of the public schools in the several education districts is given in Table El of the Primary Education Report. The relieving - teachers appointed by the several Education Boards are not included in this table, nor in the summary above, but will be found in Table F3 of the Appendix of the same report. Including all grades of schools, the average number of pupils per teacher is 34, if we take into consideration both pupil-teachers and adults. Table El gives details for the vaiious education districts. In spite of the very considerable improvement in the staffing of New Zealand schools as a result of the provisions of the Education Amendment Act, 1908, there is no doubt that there is still much room for improvement in the staffing of the larger schools. Counting only schools having an average attendance of over 200, we have the following results : (1) If pupil-teachers are altogether left out of consideration, and only adult teachers are counted, we find that each adult teacher is in charge of an average number of 58*4 children. Obviously, however, this is not a fair method of calculation. (2.) A much fairer method is to count two pupil-teachers as one adult. We then find that, each adult teacher is in charge of 48 - 3 children. (3.) If pupil-teachers and adults are both counted together, each teacher is found to be in charge of 41-2 children. The second method of calculation is undoubtedly the only fair method. A comparison with the staffing in countries generally considered to be most advanced in education emphasizes the fact above stated —viz., that there is considerable room for improvement in the staffing of the larger schools. It must, of course, be borne in mind that all schools in these countries are taken into consideration, while in New Zealand only the large schools are counted. The rural school in England is very different from the rural school in New Zealand ; it approaches the rank of a suburban school in this Dominion. Were it possible to eliminate from consideration all schools with an average attendance of under 200, it would be found that the average number of pupils per teacher in England and elsewhere would increase considerably, but the available reports are not sufficiently full to enable this to be done.

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