31

E.—l

Senior free places are tenable at secondary schools, district high schools, and technical high schools up to the age of nineteen, and at technical classes other than technical high schools for three or in some cases four years. The means of qualification for senior free places are the Intermediate or other equivalent examinations, or the recommendation of the Principal or Director of the school or classes attended based on the school records and examination results, or the recommendation of an Inspector of Secondary Schools, or, in the case of district high schools, of the senior Inspector of the district, or in part on such a recommendation and in part on the results of a special examination*. The recommendation of the Principals of secondary schools is the qualification now frequently offered, the number receiving senior free places in this manner in 1920 being 2,124, representing nearly threequarters of the total number of senior free places awarded. The following table gives a summary of the secondary free places held in 1919 and 1920 for which payment was madefby the Government : — Free Places in December, 1919 and 1920. , 1919. , , 1920. , (i.) Secondary schools— Boys. Girls. Totals. Boys. Girls. Totals. (a.) Junior free pupils .. 2,793 2,573 5,366 2,974 2,590 5,564 (6.) Senior free pupils .. 1,187 1,104 2,291 1,242 1,047 2,289 Totals .. •. 3,980 3,677 7,657 4,216 3,637 7,853 (ii.) District high schools — (a.) Junior free pupils .. 849 859 1,708 809 867 1,676 (&.) Senior free pupils .. 116 191 307 157 184 341 Totals .. •• 965 1,050 2,015 966 1,051 2,017 (iii.) Maori secondary schools .. 42 48 90 48 50 98 (iv.) Technical high schools — (a.) Junior free pupils •• 1 i oki i Anq o jka (1,226 1,000 2,226 (6.) Senior free pupils ..I I*"1'*" l ' W ' M 1 151 199 350 Totals .. .. 1,351 1,403 2,754 1,377 1,199 2,576 Grand totals .. 6,338 6,178 12,516 6,607 5,937 12,544 Of the pupils of Government secondary schools it thus appears that 91 per cent, are receiving free education. Scholarships held at Secondary Schools and District High Schools. (See also Tables K4 and K5 in E.-8.) National Scholarships. Junior and Senior National Scholarships are awarded by the Government on the results of annual examinations, the junior examination being of a standard somewhat higher than that of the certificate of proficiency, and the candidates being not over fourteen years of age ; and the senior examination being of a standard comparable with the standard of the Public Service Entrance Examination, the candidates being not over sixteen years of age. Scholarships are awarded to all candidates reaching a certain standard, the standard of award being determined so as approximately to provide one scholarship (junior or senior) for every 500 children in attendance at all public schools ; the Junior and Senior Scholarships awarded are in the proportion of nine to five, so that there is one Junior Scholarship among approximately every 750 pupils in. attendance at the schools, or among every fifty-five S6 pupils. ' In the case of pupils from sole-teacher schools — i.e., schools with an average attendance of under thirty-six —the standard of award is made 10 per cent, lower than the general standard. The standard of qualification fixed for the 1920 examinations was 64 per cent, for Junior Scholarships (general standard) and 63| per cent, for Senior Scholarships. The results of the examination were as follows : 220 candidates qualified for Junior National Scholarships, as compared with 211 in 1919, of which number seven