Education Report.

Manawatu Herald, 19 July 1898, Page 3

Education Report.

'.The working average daily attendance of pupils at the primary schools for 1897 was 112*000. The strict average is 110,993, an increase of 2017 over that of last year. There are only three districts -in which there ' is a decline in attendance, viz., Nelson, Westlandand Otago, There are 2270 Maori children on the rolls, a slight increase.! in addition there are 2864 pupils at the native schools. The total of all who passed out of the six standards was 73,392, 16,268 failed, and 2593 were absent from examination. The passes in relation to number on roll amount to 55.5 per cent, the failures are related to the number examined for standards amounted to 15.C2. These figures show a small improvement. The number of schools increased during the year from 1553 to 1583 and the number of schools is growing faster than the number of pupils, there being on an average less than seventy pupils to each school. The number of schools with less than twenty-five pupils each was increased during the year by 55 ; the number of teadfi'efV and pupil teachers was increased by 113. During the year the number of women teachers increased both actively and relatively. The amount paid in salaries in the last quarter of the year was £359,412, which sum, divided by the number of teachers — viz., 3818 — gives ah average salary of 6s Bd, or £i less than the average last year. Excluding pupil teachers and sewing mistresses, there are 2549 holding rank requiring a certificate, and of these 2244 actually held certificates. The ordinary school buildings vote was distributed as follows : — Auckland £9200, Taranaki £1600, Wanganui £3900, Wellington £ sooPf w HawkeSa ...Bay. £*500, Marfr borough £895, Nelson £2050, Grey £775. £750, North Canterbury £1750, Otago £6000, Southland £3200, total £43,700. The sum of £7580 was paid to Education Boards on account of scholarships; £2963 was paid to the Railway Department for passes ' for pupils. The School Commissioners paid the Boards £38,---522, an equal sum has been deducted from the Treasury from the capitation grants due to Boards. The number on the. books of industrial schools has increased iron 1559 to 1588. The annual reports of the several Education Boards afford no reason to believe that any great activity is being manifested in the development of that kind of manual elementary training which under the operation of the Act of 1895 is now recognised as being part of the proper educational work of the primary schools, and whioh, while including. . kindergarten occupations' and the S.loyd- system, is capable of wide development in oardbqard work and in the construction of models in wood and metal as illustrations of many subjects of scientific instruction.