E.—2.

[Appendix A.

In the December quarter there were in attendance at fifteen schools in the district 134 Maori or half-caste children —seventy-six boys and fifty-eight girls. These pupils are, of course, also included in the numbers recorded above. ~~Teaching Staff.—ln the service of this Board at the close of the year 1910 there were 124 male and 203 female teachers of all grades. The number has increased to 333 during the past year, classified according to status as follows :— Males. Females. Totals. Heads of schools ... y ... ... ... 49 10 59 Sole teachers ... ... ... ... ... 45 69 114 Assistants ... ... ... ... ... 16 86 102 Total adult teachers ... ... ... 110 165 275 Probationers ... ... ... .. 15 15 Pupil-teachers ... ... ... ... 12 31 43 Totals ... ... ... ... 122 211 333 A glance at the foregoing statement will probably cause some disquietude to those who dread the consequences of the passing of the education of our youth into the hands of the gentler sex. The fact remains, however, that to whatever cause it may be attributed, the proportion of males to females on the teaching staff of our schools is gradually on the decrease. This Board's report for the year 1899 —only twelve years ago —gives the numbers of male and female teachers as 124 and 117 respectively; and the report of the succeeding year (1900) records the fact that the sexes were then about equally represented. Now the percentage is roughly as 37 to 63. What the future holds in store in this connection can, of course, be only a matter of surmise. This Board holds the opinion that the question is one of national importance, and should receive the most careful consideration at the hands of the central authorities. Entry into the profession should in some way be made even more attractive than it now is to young men of the right stamp. Taking the adult teachers only into account, it is found that there are seventy-five males and ninety-three females holding certificates of competency, four males and three females who have licenses to teach, while there are thirty-one males and sixty-nine females who are possessed of neither qualification. It has to be noted, however, that a considerable number in the class last mentioned are to be credited with Civil Service or matriculation honours, and so are fairly well qualified for their high office from an educational standpoint. Acting under the spur of a resolution adopted by the Board in the early part of the year, a large number of the less highly qualified teachers notified their intention to present themselves for the teachers' examination to be held in January, 1912. This is a hopeful sign for the future. This district, the Board is aware, is not singular in the matter of the employment of uncertificated teachers, but shares with other education districts the disadvantages which such a system necessarily involves. Referring to the pupil-teacher system, slowly but surely being superseded, the Board has to report that nearly all of the appointees have secured passes in either matriculation or Civil Service examinations. The numbers, therefore, who have to present themselves for the ordinary pupil-teacher examination has almost reached the vanishing point. Scholarships. —The annual examination for scholarships was held in November and December last at three centres —Invercargill, Gore, and Arrowtown —when eighty-three junior and twentysix senior competitors entered the lists. To those gaining the highest aggregate of marks the following scholarships were awarded: Junior National—To Mary O. I. Preston, of Invercargill; lan G. Mclnness, of Riversdale; and Chrystal I. Pearce, of Invercargill. Board's Senior—To Dorothy J. Lambeth, John M. Bingham, Hubert J. Ryburn, Arthur A. Reid, and Christine L. Cumming, all of Invercargill. Board's Junior—Six scholarships of the value of £30 each (to nonresident candidates), and sixteen of the value of £5 each (to resident candidates) were also awarded. The following extract from the regulations of the Board indicates the basis of allocation so far as the distribution of Board's Junior Scholarship funds between town and country schools is concerned : "In each year two Junior Scholarships shall be awarded to qualified candidates from schools having not more than thirty-five pupils in average attendance; and, further, two Junior Scholarships to qualified candidates from schools'Tiaving more than thirty-five but not more than 200 in average attendance. The remaining scholarships available shall be awarded to candidates from all classes of schools in order of merit, provided that no candidate shall hold two scholarships concurrently. No Junior Scholarship shall be awarded to any candidate that does not pass the Junior National Scholarship Examination." The tenure of the Junior National and Board's Senior Scholarships is three years, and that for Board's Junior Scholarships two years. It is worthy of mention that this year the two candidates highest on the junior list were awarded National Scholarships, the first to a pupil in a school with an average over 200, the second to a pupil in a school with an average of 36 to 200. No pupil in a school with an average of under 36 qualified for the third available scholarship, which was therefore awarded to a pupil from a school in the next highest grade. All scholarships are tenable at an approved secondary school. Physical Culture. —The provisions of the Act so far as they relate to the practice of physical exercises have been complied with in the large majority of schools throughout the district with, the Board has reason to believe, highly beneficial results to the pupils in attendance. Mr. I. G. Galloway's services as Instructor have been retained under conditions similar to those previously existing. School Committees' Allowances. —In order to comply with the letter and spirit of the Education Amendment Act, 1910, the Board made a substantial addition to the scale of payments hitherto allowed to School Committees for incidental expenses. The increase, amounting to £208

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