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Office, of the Department of Education, Sir,— Wellington, 12th September, 1922. I have the honour, in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act, 1914, to submit to Your Excellency the following report upon the progress and condition of public education in New Zealand during the year ending the 31st December, 1921. I have, &c, C. J. Parr. His Excellency the Governor-General of the Dominion of New Zealand.

E E P OET. CONTENTS. This report, with its appendix, gives the information which is of general public interest with regard to the administration of the Education Act, 1914, and its subsequent amendments, also the Education Reserves Act, 1908, as subsequently amended. It gives also the expenditure of public funds appropriated by Parliament for educational purposes, and the principal statistics relating to matters which are more fully dealt with in separate papers, as follows : — E. —2. Primary Education ; with appendices, namely— Appendix A, Report of Chief Inspector of Primary Schools ; Appendix B, Reports of Education Boards ; Appendix C [not printed this year]; Appendix D [not printed this year]; Appendix E, List of Public Schools, Teachers, and Salaries. E. —3. Education of Native Children. E. —4. State Care of Children, Special Schools, and Infant-life Protection. E. —5. Technical Education. E. —6. Secondary Education. E. —7. Higher Education. E. —8. Teachers' Superannuation. INTRODUCTION. It may not be out of place at the commencement of this report to give a very brief resumx of the progress made in the education system since the beginning of the year 1920, and to indicate some proposals for further reforms in the near future. The Education Amendment Acts of 1920 and of 1921-22, and various regulations made during the last two years, have provided for many improvements and developments, of which the following are some of the most important: — Increased salaries and allowances for primary-school teachers, including additional payments according to efficiency, resulting in the increase of the average salary of all teachers, excluding those in Grade 0 schools, from £191 in 1918 to £292 in 1921. Increased allowances for pupil - teachers, probationers, and training - college students, the emoluments of these young teachers now being possibly the best in the Empire. Provision for probationers to join the Teachers' Superannuation Fund. Provision for a nationalized system of appointment and promotion of teachers based upon the Dominion graded list, under which the best-qualified applicant receives each appointment irrespective of the district in which he is employed, and a certain preference may be given to teachers who have served in remote districts.