5

E.-l

The number of schools with two or more teachers in 1915 was 932, an increase of 33 over the number for the previous these schools there were 44 with an average attendance exceeding 600 in 1915, the number for 1914 being 38. Sole-teacher schools, those with not over 35 in average attendance, numbered. 1,405 in 1915, an increase of 30 over the previous year ; but schools are in some cases maintained in a higher grade than their average attendance would appear to warrant, while on the other hand a number of schools in charge of sole teachers at the beginning of the year had so risen in attendance as to be entitled to assistant teachers before the end of the year. When due allowance is made for such cases the number of sole-teacher schools is 1,406. The aggregate average attendance at these sole-teacher schools in 1915 was 24,754, or 15-3 per cent, of the total primary average attendance of the Dominion ; in 1914 the aggregate was 24,622, or 15-5 per cent. The average attendance per school in the case of sole-teacher schools was 17-6, or, omitting schools of Grade 0, 19-5. The number of small schools with an average not exceeding 20 was 922, and the number with an average attendance of 21 to 80 was 983. The total number, therefore, of schools with not more than 80 in average attendance in 1915 was 1,905, an increase of 18 over the previous year. Country Schools. It is a source of continual regret that to the hardships and disabilities of the country settler, who is developing our richest natural resources, there is added the lack of proper facilities for the education of his children. There seems to be only one solution for many of the difficulties surrounding the country-school problem. Small schools should be grouped wherever possible. Instead of setting up small, ineffective; schools generally under untrained, uncertificated teachers, there should be central schools well equipped and staffed, where Inspectors could give more than double the time they now find possible. Though conveyance of the children has, in the past, presented difficulties, the matter would be much simplified if the whole of the children at a small school had to be conveyed. Numbers would make the system payable. If only one Board would make one experiment in this direction, its success, guaranteed by the experience of Canada and other countries, would be sufficient to cause a widespread adoption of the system. The children would benefit, not only educationally but [physically, owing to the method of travelling in covered conveyances in bad weather. Roll Number. (E.-2, Tables Bl and 8.U.) The mean of the average weekly roll for the four quarters of 1915 and the roll number, at the end of the year both showed an increase in every education district over the figures for the preceding year. The figures for the Dominion were—

The percentage increase in the average weekly roll during the last five years has been as follows : 1911, 2-9 per cent. ; 1912, 3-3 per cent. ; 1913, 3-1 per cent. ; 1914, 3-6 per cent. ; 1915, 3-2 per cent. The rate of increase is therefore fairly uniform. The increase is greater in the North Island than in the South Island, the rates for 1915 being 3-6 per cent, and 2*4 per cent, respectively.

Mean of Average Weekly Boll. Roll Number at end of Year. Including Sooond- Excluding Second- Including Second- I Exoluding Secondary Departments ary Departments ; ary Departments ary Departments of District High . of District High of District High of District High Schools. Schools. Schools. Schools. Year 1915 .. .. .. 181,229 178,827 183,214 181,112 Yeai'1914 .. .. .. 175,570 173,470 178,509 176,613 Increase in 1915 .. 5,659 5,357 4,705 4,499 5,659 5,357 4,705 4,499 Increase per cent in 1915 .. j 3-2 3-1 2-6 2-5