17

E.—l

The number of pupils per teacher in the several grades or groups of schools is shown below —(1) two pupil-teachers being counted as equivalent to one adult teacher, and probationers being disregarded ; and (2) probationers being included on the same basis as pupil-teachers : —

Average Number of Children Total Average per Teacher. Attendance. Kxcludir g Including i'lobati oners. Probationers. Grades 111-VII (two or more teachers) .. 162,304 38 35 Grades V-VII (six or more teachers) .. .. 98,322 44 40 All schools.. .. .. .. .. 189,018 33 31 The increased output of trained teachers from the training colleges is relieving to a great extent the position as regards large classes. Recently, 267 extra assistant teachers were added to the staffs of schools where the classes were too large. The intention is to continue the policy as circumstances permit of reducing the number of pupils under the charge of one teacher. It appears to be justifiable to include probationers in the staff in arriving at the average figures, and when two pupil-teachers or probationers are reckoned as equivalent to one assistant teacher the average number of pupils per teacher in all schools in 1922 works out at thirty-one, and in the large schools at forty. The difficulty of employing a staff to the greatest advantage in a country such, as this is apparent; eight hundred teachers in small schools were teaching less than twenty-one pupils each, and nearly six hundred more were teaching from twenty-one to thirty-five children, so that although the average number of pupils per teacher in all schools is reasonable, many teachers in large schools had too many pupils under their charge. During the current year, as has been mentioned, the position has improved. In the London County Council schools the average number of pupils per teacher is thirty-five, but while this is higher than the New Zealand figure it will be possible in the large schools the County Council controls to make a much more even distribution of the staff than can be made in New Zealand. A statement made at a recent meeting of the London Teachers' Association is to the effect that 37,000 teachers are teaching classes of more than fifty children, so that New Zealand is apparently*not the only country still contending"*with this grave problem. With regard to the sex of public-school teachers, the figures below show the proportion of men and women teachers on the primary-school staff : — 1915. 1918. 1921. 1922. Ratio of adult male to adult female teachers—- M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F. Schools with 1 to 20 scholars .. .. .. 100 : 323 100 : 523 100 : 318 100 : 299 Schools with.more than 20 scholars ... .. 100:176 100:227 100:182 100:182 All schools .. .. .. .. .. 100 : 193 100 : 253 100 : 197 100 : 197 Ratio of male pupil-teachers to female pupil-teachers 100 : 344 100 : 425 100 : 294 100 : 223 Ratio of male probationers to female probationers .. 100 : 647 100 : 688 100 : 445 100 : 349 Ratio of male students to female students in the training colleges .. .. . .. 100 : 387 100 : 488 100 : 324 100 : 256

3—E. 1.

Average _ of Children r dumber of )or Teacher. Average Number of Children per Teacher. Total Average AttendGrade of School. Total Average AttendGrade ot School. Excluding Probat, oners. . I including I 'robationers. Excluding Includ'ng Probationers. Probationers, ance. ance. 0 (1.-8) 1 (9-20) II (21-35) IIIa (30-80) IIIb (81-120) IVa (121-160) IVb (161-200) IVc (201-240) Va (241-280) Vb (281-320) Vc (321-360) Vd (361-400) VIa (401-440) VIb (441-480) 1,292 11,011 14,411 30,322 13,086 6,928, 7,1801 6,466) 6,316i 7,495 11,405 4,555 J 6,402) 5,014) 6 1.5 20 27 33 40 I 6 1.5 25 20 30 37 VIIa (481-520) i VIIb (521-500) VIIc (501-600) VIId (601-640) VIIe (641-680) VIIf (681-720) VIIg (721-760) : VIIh (761-800) VIIi (801-840) VIIj (841-880) VIIk (881-920) VIIl (921-960) 7,375"! 7,120 9,126 8,626 | 9,115 j 5,704 , 4,434 *" 763 2,241 854 1,777 45 40 43 38 44 40