EDUCATION REPORT.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 August 1923, Page 1

EDUCATION REPORT.

WELLINGTON. Aug. 13. The report of the Education Department for the past year was presented to Parliament to-day. The Minister (the Hon. C*. J. Parr) states that the total payments made hy the Education Department in the year 1922-23 amounted to £3,187.202. or £310.081 less than in the previous year. Of the ambount of the reduction. £217.000 is accounted for by smaller expenditure on new buildings, and £93,000 by reductions made in salaries and in the general cost of maintenance. To the expenditure by the Department may he added the expenditure by secondary schools and university colleges out of income from their reserves, making a total of £3,203.000. Included in the total is tin expenditure on now buildings amounting to £350.000. which should be regarded as capital expenditure. The cost of maintaining and overseeing some 5000 delinquent', dependent. and defective children, totalling £IIB,OOO. is also included in too cost of education mentioned, and as this is a social rather than an educational service, the annual cost to the Department of the maiuieimm-e of the education service alone (excluding capital expenditure) may he reckoned at approximately £2,720,000. The expenditure of £2.-105,000 on primary education represents a charge of £1 10s 8d per head, of the population, as compared with £2 0s 8d in the previous vea r.

The expenditure on secondary education. which includes the expenditure no secondary schools and on the maintv nance of secondary departments of district high, schools, amounted to £337.000 of wliii It stun £SI.IKK} was met by income from reserves belonging to flic various High School Boards. The total expenditure was £‘33,0t v ) less than in the previous year, the reduction being due to more limited exnendilure on new buildings. The sum of £4-1.0! 0 was the amount expended by the Department on new buildings.

The cost to the Department; of maintenance was ar-oroximutely tlic sain? as in 1021. and the number of pupils being greater, the cost per head was ('on-espoiuliugly less, amonting to £!fi (i, <),!. ff the expenditure on new buildings and the expenditure cut oi the Board’s income from reserves be added Lite cost to the country per pupil would become £23 Is lid. The cost per secondary school scholar in England is estimated at from £2B to £3O.

The expenditure on technical cilncaii.,u was £211,000 of which sum £OO,OtHI represents the cost of new buildings. In this case it Iso tlic expenditure on in-.v buildings was much less than in the previous year, the cost ol innut-t,-nance being.approximately the same. Towards the cost of university edit:atint! the Department provided £7-1.000 for maintenance, and £55.000 for now bifilings v. hilv £27,000 was met by incoi-.).. from the reserves of the various colleges, making a total of £1 ■ (0.000, or tt charge of Is -hi per head of Hie population.

The expenditure on special and industrial schools and the probation ami boarding-ou l system amounted lo £IIB.OOO, tin: cost being £IO.OOO less lb,-in in the previous year. In addition to the above expenditure controlled by the Education Department, .14-157 was expended by the Mines Department, on Schools of Mines, and £1350 be the Department of Public Health oil dental bursaries tenable ;il the University of Otago.

A comparison between the school population of the North and South Islands shows an annual increase of 3.9 per cent, in the North Tslatnl, ami of 1.8 per cent, in the South Island. During the last ten years the number of children attending public- schools has increased by 27 pw- cent., the population of the Dominion having increased hy 20 [ter cent, in a corresponding period. The regularity of attendance was better than in 1922. The highest percentage. 92'was in Otago , The desirability of adopt in;-; some