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types of State secondary schools—grammar, technical, and modern—sharply separated according to the intellectual capacities of the pupils. The important system of nonState schools has also to be considered. Again, post-primary education in England begins at Form I, and there is a highly competitive and selective examination for all pupils in the class corresponding to our Standard 4. Educational opinion is by no means, unanimous in favour of this tripartite system, however, and there are powerful arguments in favour of multilateral, comprehensive, or omnibus schools. The picture of post-primary education in New Zealand would not be complete without reference to the district high schools. These are primary schools with a secondary department under one headmaster. The secondary department varies in size from about a dozen pupils to 250 or more, and the schools therefore vary extremely in their organization and scope. They provide educational opportunities for young people in the villages and rural districts. They are necessarily multi-purpose, but cannot be equipped to provide the. technical courses found in the cities. Even the agricultural course, which should perhaps flourish in district high schools, has not made the progress originally expected. Nevertheless, these schools have done excellent work in conditions that have often been difficult and never luxurious. Their further improvement depends on the provision of better equipment and a more varied staff. The Inspectorate During 1948 Mr. E. Caradus, 0.8. E., retired on superannuation from the position of Chief Inspector of Post-primary Schools. Mr. Caradus had a varied and distinguished career, first as an industrial chemist, then as a teacher, and later as Inspector and administrator. Prior to the second world war he became interested in the education of Air Force personnel, to which he devoted much attention while still carrying out his duties as an Inspector of Secondary Schools. After the outbreak of war he became more deeply involved in the training of pilots and navigators and in the pre-entry training of Air Force recruits, and he finally joined the Air Force as Director of Educational Services with the rank of Wing Commander. In this capacity he controlled a large staff and built up a system of training that received high commendation. For his services Mr. Caradus was made an Officer of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire. He returned to his duties as Chief Inspector of Secondary Schools at the end of the war, and later became Chief Inspector of Post-primary Schools, thus bringing permanently under one control the work in both secondary and technical schools. The most important change affecting the inspectorate in 1948 was the establishment of a branch of the Department in Auckland, and the transfer there of some Inspectors with duties confined to the Auckland Education District. This first year has been a difficult one. The transfer was not effective until April. The team of Inspectors was at no time at full strength (though it received some assistance from headquarters), and half the year was spent in temporary quarters remote from the administrative staff, Mr. Ensor was appointed Senior Inspector of Post-primary Schools in Auckland. Several Inspectors stationed in Wellington were transferred to Auckland, and others were appointed in the course of the year. The establishment of the Auckland branch has undoubtedly resulted in a lessening of the pressure of work in the Head Office, and has produced at the same time closer contact between the Department and the schools. For the time being it is certain that the total volume of work is much greater, but, when the Auckland office is well established, the most important result should be the closer contact between the school and the Inspectors. One most useful contact established in 1948 was with the Post-primary Committee of the Auckland Education Board, which controls directly seven post-primary schools. A post-primary Inspector attends the meetings of this committee. The whole team of Inspectors has worked very hard and willingly throughout the whole of the year. Their duties frequently take them away from their headquarters, and travelling has become a labour involving early preparation of detailed plans. In

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