E.—5

In so doing it is essential to discriminate between the town technical high school, existing alongside of secondary schools, and the country technical high school, which is also largely an ordinary secondary school. For example, the percentages of boys attending who took the various courses in the year 1925 were as follows : —

Table A.

While for girls for the year 1925 the percentages were—

Not only is there a considerable difference in type of instruction between the two groups, but there is also a difference in the average length of stay at school, especially in regard to the general course leading to the Matriculation Examination. The following table shows for the two groups, Group I being the town schools, the average percentages of first-year enrolment remaining respectively in town and country technical high schools during successive years. Each first-year enrolment at each school was counted as 100 in calculating the percentages. The figures are derived from the returns for the years 1921-25 : —

Table B.

Taking five of the larger town schools which have well-defined pre-vocational courses, the average percentages of total enrolment in the various courses for boys for the four years ending 31st December, 1925, and the four years ending 31st December, 1915, are shown in the following table : —

Table C.

Tlie table illustrates how, in these schools, the industrial courses for boys have grown in popularity during the last few years. Out of every 100 entrants in 1915, 36 took the commercial course, while in 1925 only 22 out of 100 took this or a general course, the remainder taking trades or agriculture.

6

Courses. ®°y s- Art. Industrial. Agricultural. Commercial. General. Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent, of Total. of Total. of Total. of Total. of Total. I Group I, town schools .. .. 1*3 69-0 4-4 19-6 5-7 Group II, country schools .. .. .. 12-4 20-3 13-3 54-0

Courses. 1,11 Domestic. | Commercial. I General. Art. Per Cent. j Per Cent. | Per Cent. Per Cent, of Total. I of Total. j of Total. of Total. Group I, town schools .. .. .. 34-5 62-3 1-8 1-4 Group II, country schools .. .. 23-9 41-7 34-4 t ! ! 1

Course. First Year. Second Year. Third Year. Fourth Year. Fifth Year. Avera^eJStay, Group .. • • • • ■ • I- II* I. j II. I. II. I. 11. I. II. I. II. Agriculture . . .. 100 100 52 63 11 13 2 1 .. .. 1-65 1-77 Commercial—Boys .. 100 100 60 63 16 25 2 7 .. .. 1-78 1-95 Girls . . .. 100 100 64 72 21 27 5 10 1 1-91 2-09 Domestic .. .. .. 100 100 51 61 16 15 4 10 1 1-72 1-86 General—Boys .. .. • • 100 ] 74 .. 40 .. 25 .. 8 .. 2-47 Girls . . . . .. 100 .. 77 .. 45 .. 24 .. 5 .. 2-51 Industrial .. . • • • 100 58 -. 19 .. 4 .. .. .. 1-81

Courses. Industrial and Art. Agriculture. Commercial. I General. Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. ' Per Cent. Enrolled. °|™al EnroUed . ofTotel EuroU(J|J oitTotal BnroUed . otTotal ; ment. ment. ment. ment. Average of four years ending 31st De- 923 70-5 92 7-0 283 21-6 12 0'9 cember, 1925 Average of four years ending 31st De- 262 53-7 50 10-1 177 36-2 eember, 1915 Per cent, increase of enrolment in ten years 252 .. 84 .. 60