E.-i

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behind is increased to 51 per cent. It is true that of the 14,167 retarded pupils in Standard 111 about 8,000 are only one year behind, but over 3,000 are two years behind, being over twelve years of age : that is, if they entered school at the age of five years they are not ready to pass from Standard 111 after seven years at school, or, if they entered at six years of age, after six years at school. In addition to these there are over 1,600 who are three years or more behind the normal rate of progress; It is possible that the remaining 500 who are over fourteen years of age are really deficient in intelligence, or it may be that they have been retarded through other causes ; but omitting these extreme cases there are still 47 per cent, of the whole who are retarded one, two, or three years. The figures for the upper three standards might be analysed in a similar manner, and would appear to give equal cause for grave consideration by all concerned. It is hoped that the problem will not be lightly dismissed by reference to large classes and an overcrowded syllabus, which all too frequently, and sometimes quite unnecessarily, are made the scapegoats of educational problems. With regard to the size of classes, it may be stated that the staffing of schools has been relatively strengthened during the past twenty-five years by over 50 per cent., partly by what is at present almost a complete staffing by adult teachers in place of the former large proportion of pupil-teachers, and partly by the very great reduction in the size of classes that has been made in the last twenty-five years. Further, it is not found that the problem above referred to presents itself only in connection with schools where there are large classes. With regard to the syllabus, it can quite clearly be proved that the content of the syllabus for the primary schools is only about half of what it was twenty-five years ago, and although a small proportion of new work has been introduced the position as a whole is that the demands on the child are far less than they have ever been before, leaving more time and opportunity for better educational treatment of the various subjects. The whole question will be brought before the teachers and Inspectors, who, it is confidently expected, will give earnest attention to the question and will, it is hoped, be able to offer valuable practical suggestions. Sfecial Classes for Retarded Children. —In almost every school there is a small percentage of pupils who, though quite normal in a general sense, and who cannot be regarded as mentally deficient, find the ordinary course of instruction unsuited to them. Others seem to have some special difficulty in learning one or two subjects or in getting over some particular stage of a subject. These pupils require more or less individual instruction, and amply repay the effort thus made on their behalf. In a number of schools, therefore, in the Dominion special classes have been established for these children. The classes contain about twenty pupils drawn from various standards, and specially qualified teachers are placed in charge. By studying the needs and capacity of each child and modifying the ordinary course of instruction very good results have been obtained. In most cases the pupils will be able to return to the ordinary classes and proceed with their work confidently and happily without being a hindrance to the rest of the class. There is no doubt that great benefit would result if it were possible to provide suitable means of testing the mental capacity of children by competent persons, particularly at an early stage in the child's career, and also at any stage when there appears some unusual difficulty. Consideration is being given to the means that should be adopted to secure this end. Pupils leaving Primary Schools. In 1923, 18,458 pupils left the public primary schools; of these, 13,713, or 74 per cent., had passed the Standard VI examination, and 4,745 (26 per cent.) had not passed that examination but had attained the age of fourteen years. From a comparison of the total enrolment in each class over a period of years with the enrolment in the next higher class in the succeeding year an estimate can be made of the loss of pupils at the various stages of primary education. It appears that there is practically no loss up to the completion of Standard 111, but that 5 per cent, of the entrants in any year leave before completing Standard IV; a further 9 per cent., making 14 per cent, in all, fail to complete Standard V; and a further