The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 1887. THE EDUCATION REPORT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1574, 2 June 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 1887. THE EDUCATION REPORT.

The annual report on Education was laid on the table of the House a few days ago. It is a most fc/rmidable document, consisting of 130 £ages, but perhaps a few of the most interesting features may not be out of place. Referring to public schools, the report says, that the average daily attendance of pupils throughout the year (83,405) is greater by 3193 than the attendance for 18S5, and the average attendance (85»343) is the highest yet attained, and for the last quarter of the year exceeds the corresponding number for the preceding year by 3680. The number of pupils on the rolls at the end of the year was 106,302 —-exceeding the number at the end of 1885 by 3921. From no point of view has the increase reached the estimate made at the beginning of the year, and since the passing of the Education Act the annual increase has never been so small, except m the years 1881 and 1882, when it was affected by the great diminution of grants for buildings, and the rule excluding children under five years of age from attendance. In framing the estimates for 18S6 it was not considered safe to provide for less than 85,000 children, and as the attendance has been only 83,405,' the amount expended by way of capitation allowances has fallen short of estimates by more than The very large number of additions and withdrawals of pupils m comparison with the whole number enrolled continues to be a noticeable feature. Pupils to the number of 7030, who were, on the roll m December, ISBS, dtopped during the , year, making fn all 45>257- The di/-| ference between this number and 49,175, the number of admissions, is the net addition to the roll, 3921. It cannot be supposed that anything like 45,000 actually and finally left school during the year, or that 49,000 new pupils were admitted. The numbers must be, to a large extent, accounted for by immigrations and long suspensions of attendance— suspensions long enough to expunge the names, followed by the fresh entry of the same names. The average attendance has been 78 6 percent of the mean roll number. It has never before been so high, though last year it was nearly as good (78*5). The number of schools (reckoning 62halftimeschoolsasequalto3i full time schools) if 1054. At the end or 1885 the number was 1012 (reckoning 58 half-time schools as 29). The tendency, as might be expected, is m the direction of^m increase m the^ average number of pupils at each school. In 1884 the average was 77-8, m 18S5 it was 80, and m 1886 it rises to 81, There is also a continuous increase m the number of aided schools, which has risen. from 48 m 1883 to 119 m 1886. The increase (102) m the number of teachers during the year was rather less than sufficient to keep pace with the number of pupils. It is very remarkable that the increase (27) m the nun>bcr of male pupil teachers is almost equal to that (2Sy which has taken place m the number of female pupil teachers, although there are between three and four times as many of the latter as there are of the former. It is apparent that the increase m the number of sewing mistresses (who are not included m the foregoing statement) is probably due to an inaccurate statement of the number for 1885 which was most likely 164 and not 148 as reported. A table shows, among other things, the rate of each teacher's salary m December. The sum resulting from the addition of these rates of salary, amounted to an annual rate of I 7 S zd, which, being divided amongst 2894 teachers, gives an average of £96 15s 9d. This is exclusive of the annual value of houses and land belonging to Boards and occupied by teachers; The number of teachers (including pupil teachers and sewing mistressce receiving salaries of less than ,£IOO a year) is 1647, and the number J receiving salaries of more thau a

year is 1247. The salaries paid to teachers constitute by far the greatest part of the expenditure of the Boards. The salaries m December being, as has been stated, an annual rate of and the average attendance for December being 85,343, it follows that the salaries of teachers are equal to an an average attendance capitation of .£3 5s 7 d - Taking the whole year, however, instead of the last quarter, the salaries have represented a larger capitation than this, and when the salaries of visiting teachers are also taken into account, the'rate is raised to about Bs. This leaves about 12s out of a capitation allowance of £4, and an inspection subsidy of for the incidental expenses of schools and cost of boards administration and inspection, on which items the expenditure last year was ,£50,040 8s 3d for an average attendance of 83,405, or 12s a head. Last session's public works vote of for school buildings made it possible to grant 4s to Education Boards m pioportion to the population of the several districts, but the money was not paid till February of this year, and therefore it does not enter into the accounts of 1886.