H.—37.

Educational Services. (i) Staff. The following tables set out the strength and distribution of the staff of educational services during the year 31st March, 1940. 31st March, 1941. Educational officers .. .. .. .. 18 40 Clerical staff .. .. .. .. .. 3 8 21 48 The distribution of the staff as at 31st March, 1941, was: Headquarters (Wellington), 19; Levin, 4 ; Rongotai, 3; Wigram and Harewood, 2 each ; Hobsonville, Whenuapai, New Plymouth, Ohakea, Blenheim, and Taieri, 1 each; and four on vessels carrying trainees to Canada. Mr. E. Caradus continued to act as Director of Educational Services throughout the year, but has now been appointed Chief Inspector of Secondary Schools and will require to devote a considerable amount of his time to this work. He has, however, consented to act as Director of Educational Services while his services are needed. (ii) Educational Training. (a) Air-crew Personnel.—Reference was made in the last annual report to the special syllabus which was introduced to form the basis of both class and correspondence instruction of men seleoted for air crew and requiring educational training. No man of the right type who has completed a primary-school course is rejected by the Air Crew Selection Committee, and even men nominally up to the educational entry standard are now required to complete satisfactorily this preliminary course. The latter group, however, is given a short course lasting fourteen weeks. It was estimated that a course of twenty-one weeks would be sufficient in the case of men with eighteen months or two years of post-primary education, and the syllabus was accordingly divided into twenty-one sections or assignments. It was found necessary to prepare a book as a correspondence course for men in country districts and for those who, owing to the nature of their occupations, were unable to attend the usual classes. This book, which was completed early in 1940, has been the text-book for the classes as well as the correspondence course. The book at present in use was printed in June, 1940, and reprinted in December, 1940. It is of interest to note that the Australian system of preliminary educational training, commenced some six months after that in New Zealand, is modelled on that of the R.N.Z.A.F., and that the New Zealand text-book has been reprinted in Australia. The Royal Air Force system of pre-entry training, commenced recently, is ou similar lines to that of NewZealand. The cost of the preliminary educational training of air-crew recruits is less than £3 for each man. The willingness shown by post-primary teachers in all types of schools to co-operate with the Air Force has very much simplified the establishment of Air Force educational classes in all large centres in the Dominion. (b) Ground Personnel.—At all Air Force stations, education officers are available for the educational training of the ground personnel, as well as of members of the air crew in training. Many of the ground staff are taking advantage of these facilities, some in order to qualify for higher positions and others in order to reach air-crew standard. Special arrangements have been made in order that trainees for technical trades may receive educational training both during their recruit course at Harewood and afterwards during their technical training at Rongotai. As there is a very short interval between the time of enlistment and actual posting for recruit training, no outside classes have been established to provide preliminary educational training for these men. (iii) Morse Signalling. Morse signalling is now an integral part of the preliminary educational course. Two groups of trainees are being handled : (a) Those situated in centres where there arc sufficient men for the formation of classes; and (6) those in country districts. The problem of instruction for the men in the country was solved with the co-operation of the National Broadcasting Service, and the necessary lessons are given over the air. In almost every case the instructors are officers of the Post and Telegraph Department, and a tribute must be paid to those who have so willingly co-operated, including private concerns and individuals. The success of the signalling instruction is demonstrated by the fact that about 60 per cent, of the trainees are able to transmit and receive at least eight words a minute before the completion of their signalling course. (iv) Educational Tests. i Tests are given to cover the whole syllabus at the end of the educational courses. Some indication of the willing manner in which the men are working may be gathered from the fact that in the tests held in December, 1940, only 7 per cent, of the pilots and observers and 15 per cent, of the air gunners failed. Most of the failures were given a slightly extended course and then reached the necessary standard. The content of the educational course is such that all men benefit from it, while obviously it is an advantage to the Training Schools that every man selected for the air crew should have satisfactorily completed the preliminary course before being posted to the recruit courses.

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