E.—l

7. REGULARITY OF ATTENDANCE. For the year 1934 the average attendance of pupils in public primary schools and intermediate schools and departments was 91-3 per cent, of the average weekly roll, as against 92-9 per cent, in 1933. This decrease in attendance when compared with the previous year does not point to an increase in truancy, but is accounted for by the fact that for varying periods in different districts epidemics of illnesses were more frequent than in 1933. Epidemics of some form of illness were common in the second term and to a lesser degree in the final term of the year. Again in the Nelson Education District a particularly high degree of regularity of attendance was achieved. 8. STAFFS OF SCHOOLS. The following table shows the number of adult teachers in the public primary schools of the different grades.

Table H1. —Number of Adult Teachers employed in Primary Departments of Public Schools, December, 1934.

The following table indicates the number of women teachers for each 100 men teachers : —

Table H2.—Ratio of Women to Men Teachers in Primary Schools.

11

Sole Teachers. Head Teachers. Teachers' Total Adult Teachers. Grade of School.* j i " M. F. ; M. F. M. F. M. F. Total. Grade 0 (1-8) .. 61 140 61 140 201 I (9-20) .. 438 303 1 1 2 440 305 745 II (21-35) .. 214 187 42 36 2 77 258 300 558 IIIa (36-50) .. 6 4 190 93 4 284 200 381 581 IIIb (51-80) .. 1 215 40 7 299 223 339 562 „ IIIc (81-120) 116 6 15 258 131 264 395 IV (121-240) 130 .. 135 421 265 421 686 V (241-360) 81 1 156 453 237 454 691 VI (361-480) .. ■ • ■ ■ 63 .. 201 485 264 485 749 " VII (over 480) 82 .. 355 837 437 837 1,274 All grades — 1934 .. .. 720 634 920 176 876 3,116 2.516 3,926 6,442 1933 .. 699 670 895 174 769 2,865 2,363 3,709 6,072 Difference .. . . —)—21 —36 —|—25 -|-2 —(—107 —)—251 +153 —|—217 —|—370 * The grade of school given above is the grade in which the school is placed when all attached side schools are included, while part-time schools taught by the same teacher are counted as one school.

1927. 1928. 1929. 1930. 1931. 1932. 1933. 1934. Adult teachers — All schools 187 183 184 178 174 167 157 156 Schools with roll 1-20 .. 202 185 162 157 156 120 103 89 Schools with roll over 20 .. 185 182 188 182 178 177 170 173 Probationers 236 303 265 224 177 * * * Training-college students .. 213 227 242 282 226 201 163 t * There were no probationers in 1932, 1933, or 1934. t All Training Colleges were closed during 1934.