E.—l.

REPORT.

I. INTRODUCTORY AND GENERAL. Although little, if any, improvement took place in the financial condition of the Dominion during the year, I am pleased to be able to report that it was not necessary to introduce further economies in education. The aim of the Government has been to maintain the efficiency of the education system at as high a standard as possible, and to curtail only those educational facilities which are very desirable in times of prosperity but which cannot be provided in times of depression. It is realized that one of the first duties of the Government is to give the children and young men and women the means of obtaining the best education of which they are capable, and I think it can truly be said that the opportunities now available have not impaired the chances of the youth of the Dominion to compete on equal terms educationally with the young people in other parts of the Empire. On account of the large number of ex-training-college students who were unable to obtain employment in their profession, a scheme was inaugurated at the beginning of the year for rationing the work available for junior teachers as probationers, assistants, and relieving-teachers. In view of its purpose it was well received by the Education Boards and the Service ; by its means the majority of the young teachers received two terms' employment, and all were employed for at least one term. Apart from affording financial relief to those teachers concerned, the scheme enabled the young teachers to receive further training in their profession and thereby increase their efficiency. At the end of the year the teachers' training colleges at Wellington and Dunedin were closed. As the number of trained certificated teachers seeking appointments greatly exceeded the positions available, it was decided to appoint only graduate entrants and a very small number of studentteachers (technical) to the teaching service in 1933. The expense of maintaining four training colleges for the reduced number of students could not be justified. In consequence of the closing of the two colleges and the smaller number of trainees in the two remaining colleges, the normal schools at Dunedin and Wellington were disestablished, together with the associated normal schools in the four University towns. The remaining normal schools and the public and post-primary schools will, supply adequate training for the students. A change was made in the allowances paid to students, who, from the beginning of 1933, will receive £20 per annum, together with a repayable boarding-allowance not exceeding £40 per annum where they have to live away from home. The closing of the two colleges made staff adjustments unavoidable, but the Lecturers for whom positions could not immediately be found have since been absorbed into the teaching service. During the year special consideration was given to the junior-high-school system, which was introduced into the Dominion in 1922. Since that year a small number of junior-high-school departments had been added to the secondary, technical, and district high schools. These all worked under regulations which were framed to meet the conditions under which the first school was established, and which were inadequate for the development of the reorganization of the school system. Amended regulations were issued, the new features of which are: the change of name from junior high schools to intermediate schools and departments ; the reduction of the period of instruction from three years to two years ; a staffing schedule ; salary schedules for principals and assistants ; a uniform method of appointment of teachers ; and a revised staffing for contributing schools. During the latter months of the year preparations were made at Napier and Wanganui for the opening of intermediate schools, and at West Christchurch for the attachment of an intermediate department to the district high school and the transfer of preparatory to Standard IY pupils to neighbouring schools. The reorganization of the primary-school system in the Dominion is in accord with similar developments that have taken place in other parts of the Empire and in the United States. The aim of the intermediate school is to remove the pupils

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