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1. EXTEACT FEOM THE FORTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPOET OF THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION. General. Number of Schools. The number of technical high schools open during 1923 was fourteen, in addition to which there were nine organized technical or art schools offering day courses. Technical classes were also conducted in thirty-three manual-training or other centres, the total number of centres being fifty-six, a decrease of ten on the number for the previous year, mostly in the Auckland Education District. Attendance. The total number of students receiving instruction in all technical classes was 18,117, as compared with 16,464 in 1922. The attendance at technical high schools increased from 4,202 in 1922 to 5,054 in 1923, an increase of 852. Of the total number of 18,117 students, 4,795 held free places at technical high schools, 4,858 at other technical classes, 269 were attending continuation and technical classes held under the regulations for compulsory classes, and 150 were attending under the regulations relating to the free instruction of discharged soldiers. The decrease in the number of pupils attending under the compulsory regulations was 55 ; and there was also a decrease of over 200 discharged soldiers attending without payment of fees under arrangements made with the Repatriation Department. The increase in numbers of students at classes other than those of technical high schools is probably due mainly to relaxation of restrictions adopted as a means of economy in the previous year. In the case of technical high schools the increase was 852, almost the same as in the previous year, the total for the two years being almost exactly 50 per cent, of the attendance in 1921. The increase is partly due to the conversion of district high schools into technical high schools, but also largely due to increases in the rolls of the technical high schools in the larger towns, the five largest increasing from 2,469 in 1921 to 3,369 in 1922, an increase of more than half the total increase for the two years. The numbers should have been much higher in both years, the deficiency being due to the large proportion of the pupils leaving at the end of the first year. This difficulty is more serious in technical high schools than in other secondary schools, and will probably persist as long as employment is open to children under sixteen years of age. Staffing. There were at the end of 1923 249 full-time assistant teachers on the staffs of technical schools, besides a large number of part-time teachers. The teachers employed full time were classified as follows, Class VI being the highest:—

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Class. l)i Men. Division I. livision nl. Women. Division II. Totals. Men. Women. VI IT 3 1 c\ 3 12 24 17 14 7 5 5 5 5 6 12 5 7 3 • 9 18 18 8 6 9 15 17 19 8 2 20 41 65 66 IV III 11 I 24 17 14. 7 6 12 5 7 35 22 Totals for 1923 77 77 40 40 02 70 249 Totals for 1922 63 63 27 27 53 66 209