Appendix A.]

E.—2.

Teachers.—On the 31st December there were in the Board's service 652 teachers, classed as under: — Males. Females. Total. Head teachers .. .. . . .. . . 105 .. 105 Sole teachers .. .. .. .. 38 104 142 Assistant teachers .. .. .. 61 230 291 Total of adult teachers .. 204 334 538 Pupil-teachers .. .. .. .. 13 31 44 Probationers .. .. .. 6 24 30 Teachers of needlework .. .. .... 20 20 Manual and technical (special teachers) .. 10 7 17 Teacher of gymnastics .. .. 1 .. 1 „ elocution .. .. .. .. 1 .. 1 „ vocal music .. .. .. 1 .. 1 Totals for 1912 .. 236 416 652 Totals for 1911 .. .. .. ..225 399 624 Increase for 1912 .. .. 11 17 28 The following table shows the ratio of male to female teachers for the past four years :— Adult Teachers. Pupil-teachers and Probationers. 1909 .. .. 100 males to 160 females. 1909 .. .. 100 males to 212 females. 1910 .. ..100 „ 156 „ 1910 .. ..100 „ 256 1911 .. ..100 „ 164 „ 1911 .. ..100 „ 264 1912 .. ..100 „ 163 „ 1912 .. ..100 „ 289 The excess of females over males joining the teaching profession in this district through the channels of pupil-teacherships and probationerships were even more marked than in the previous year. Of the twenty-eight young people appointed to these positions at the beginning of the year, seven were males and twenty-one were females. There is, however, solid ground for satisfaction in the knowledge that the educational qualifications of all of them were of a high order, no less than twenty-six having at date of entry passed the Matriculation Examination and two the Civil Service Junior Examination. So long as this standard can be maintained no fear need be entertained that the professional prestige which this district has for years enjoyed will be endangered. As a background to this picture it should be stated that during the year there were appointed, principally to small country schools, thirty-seven adult teachers who were only partially certificated, and nineteen adult teachers who had gained no success towards a certificate, a total of fifty-six teachers admitted to the service without possession of the full qualification. As the folloyving table shows, there were in the service in December last ninety teachers who did not hold full certificates or licenses to teach, an increase of eleven for the year : —

Attendance of Pupils. —Roll number: As the following table discloses, the roll number for each quarter again showed a substantial increase over the corresponding quarter of the previous year, the mean increase being 368, or T7 per cent. : — 1910. 1911. 1912. First quarter .. .. ..19,695 20,065 20,515 Second quarter .. .. .. 19,875 20,193 20,622 Third quarter .. .. .. ..19,964 20,281 20,703 Fourth quarter .. .. .. ..20,296 20,697 20.869 Mean of the four quarters .. .. 19,953 20.309 20,679

XXIII

Certificated. Uncertificated. Holders of Licenses. Other Teacl iers. I _ M. F. M. F. Total. \r. F. Total. Total. 909 910 911 912 160 165 168 174 233 235 252 260 393 "400 420 434 I 1 3 6 6 10 4 8 3 6 6 12 21 25 20 21 58 67 59 69 79 92 79 90 Increase for 1912 8 14 3 6 1 10 II