14

X— 2

Status of Teachers in regard to Certificates. ('rabies B2 and E3.) Table B2 gives the number of certificated and uncertificated teachers respectively in the different education districts on the 31st December. 1915, exclusive of secondary schools and secondary departments of district high schools. The following summary shows the numbers of certificated and uncertificated teachers employed in the schools in each of the years 1910 to 1915 :—

Primary Teachers in all Public Schools (Secondary Departments of District High Schools excluded).

It will be observed from the above figures that the improvement in the proportion of certificated and partially certificated teachers noted in preceding years has not been maintained in 1915. The number of certificated teachers shows an increase; of only 16 over the number for 1914, while the number partially qualified has been reduced by 102, and the number holding no examination status has increased by 306. In other words, the proportion holding certificates decreased from 73-7 per cent, to 70-6 per cent, of the whole, and the proportion having no recognized examination status increased from 17-5 per cent, to 23-1 per cent. The faliing-off is not, however, difficult to explain. The reason is the same as in the case of the increased proportion of female teachers. ' At the end of the year about 220 male teachers were on military service with the Expeditionary Forces, and temporary arrangements for filling their places have been made possible only by the employment in the service of a greatly increased number of uncertificated persons. In addition, a number of training-college students who would have joined the ranks of certificated teachers are engaged in military duties. The reports of Inspectors of Schools comment generally on the accentuated difficulty of obtaining certificated teachers for small country schools, it being often necessary to appoint almost any fairly well educated person. The increased rates of salary payable under the Education Act of 1914 should be an inducement to competent men and women to join and remain, in the teaching service ; but it will not be possible to ascertain the effect of the improved salaries on the general efficiency of the staff until normal conditions again prevail. If schools with an average attendance of under 20 are excluded, it will be found from the figures of Table E2a that the proportion of certificated teachers in the service was 80-5 in 1915, and this figure, under the circumstances, must be regarded as comparatively good. The percentage of certificated teachers in the English public elementary schools in the year 1913-14 was 67-2. The table below shows all certificated teachers employed by Education Boards, whether they are engaged in primary work or in the secondary departments of district high schools, and it is arranged according to sex and class of certificate held. It is to be borne in mind that there is now no examination for E certificate.

1910. 1911. 1912. 1913. 1914. 1915. | ! I ; I. Certificated teachers .. .. ..! 2,663 2,783 ' 2,919 I 3,082 3,282 3,298 I I __ I. Uncertificated teachers — (a.) Holding partial qualifications— (i.) Holders of licenses .. .. 56 71 87 84 90 83 (ii.) Others partially qualified .. 259 285 336 304 ; 306 211 . __;_. 1 83 2.11 Totals of (a) .. .. .. 315 356 423 388 396 294 (b.) Having no recognized examination status 730 705 763 792 770 1,076 291 1,076 I __i Total number of teachers not fully cer- 1,045 1,061 1,186 1,180 1,166 1,370 tificated . 1,180 1,166 1,370 Totals of I and II ..13,708 3,844 4,105 4,262 4,448 1,668 1,668