The Daily News. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1901. EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 204, 3 September 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1901. EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND.

The 24th annual report oftV ; e Minister for Education was presented to Parliament last week, The working aVerkge , for 1900 was 111j748 t an increase of 1432 an that of 1899, which was , 110,316, In 1898 the average was 111,636, and in 1897 112,328. The average of the weekly roll numbers throughout the year shows a further j falling off from that of 1899, which was less than the year before, the figures being 132,897 for 1900 as against 133,540 for 1899, a decrease of 643. The increase in the working average for the North Island is 1806, and the decrease for the South Island is 375. In regularity of attendance there has been an improvement in every district of the colony except Nelson, which remains the same as in 1899, and Marlborough and Southland, which show a slight falling off. In Grey and Westland the high figures which were attained in 1899 (89 per cent, and 86.8 per cent, of the average roll number respectively) have increased to 89.1 and 87.5, Otags, with an attendance of 86.9 per cent, of the number on the roll, stands at the head of the large education districts. There are 2522 Maoris and half-castes attending the public schools. The percentage of passes to those examined was:—Auckland, 87.1; Taranaki, 79,2 ; Wanganui, 88.4; Wellington, 84 4 ; Hawke's Bay, 86.7; Marlborough, 89.4; Nelson, 77.5 ; Grey, 92.0; Westhnd, 89.2; North Canterbury, 83.4; South Canterbury, 87.6; Otago, 87.2; Southland, 88.9. The numbers of pupils instructed in the different districts are Auckland, j 28,045; Taranaki, 4061; Wanganui, j 10,629; "Wellington, 14,658; Hawke's Bay, 7997 ; Marlborough, 2146; NeLi son, 5691; Grey, 1654; Westland, I 1278; North Canterbury, 19,850; South Canterbury, 5148; Otago, I 20,150 ; Southland, 9417. The number of schools open at the end of 1900 was 1674, or 29 more than were open in December, 1899. The total 1 average attendance for the fourth/ quarter of 1900 was 111,498, against 109,050 in the corresponding quarter of 1899. The mean average attendance per school, therefore, rose from 66.3 to 66.6. In December, 1900, there were employed 3586 teachers, exclusive of sewing mistresses; cf these, 2631 were adults and 955 pupilteachers. The corresponding numbers tor December, 1899, were 2592 adults and 1022 pupil-teachers, so that there is an improvement in the staffing to a slight extent. Of the adult teachers at the end of 1900, 1216 were men and 1415 were women. Of the pupilteachers, 206 were male and 749 female. The total of all salaries at the rates paid at the end of the year was ,£356,875 5s 7d, The average per t9acher was £94 19s 7dj- which ig £\ 4s 2d more than the corresponding amount in December, 1899. If the salaries of sewing mistresses and pupilteachers, and tha house allowances paid to teachers where residences wore not provided, were excluded from this computation, the average salary paid to adult teachers would appear as .£l2O 4s 3d. On the general account the net deficit of all tho Boards is £5983 17s 7d, which is less by about £I4OO than the deficit, at the end of the year 1899. 'i'ho largest deficits are shown by Wellington, i§4391 9s 8(1; Otago, ,£2308 if a

2d ; North Canterbury, £2222 Os lid Wanganui, £973 12* 9d. Two othe Boards also show deficits. Auckianc bas changed a deficit of £1033 Is 11( into a credit balance of £1358 2s Id six othr-s Boards, including Tarabaki show credit balances. On the whole eight; out of tfcfe thirteen Boards haw improved their position on the goaft-a account during the year, The Welling ten Board lias, however, gone b'rl £1230 8s 9d during tha year. Th distribution of the ordinary votfs fo school buildings was made rs follows —Auckland, £9500 : Taranaki, £ IGSO Wanganui, £'3925; Wellington £5200 ; Hawka's Bay, £2600 ; Mar 1 borough, £900; Nelson, £2000; Grey £775 ; Westland, £750; North Can terbury, £6000; fmi'h Canterbury £1800; Otago, £6000; Southland £3400; balance to iiaWe schools £SOO : total, £45,606, The followinj distribution was made of the spccia vote for schools in newly settled dis tricts : —Auckland, £1426 ; Wangami £BO7 ; Hawke's Bay, £435 ; Marl borough, £174; North Canterbury £301; Southland, t nativi schools, £2463 5 undistributed Xi'9,ll7i total, £25,000. Scholar ships were distributed as follows: Auckland, 77; Taranaki, 15,; Wat) ganui, 18 •; Wellingtons 44; ECawke' Bay, 2tC; Marlborough, (i; Nelson, 9 Greyv 8; Westland, 7; North Cantor hury, 38; South Canterbury, 30 Otago, 51 ; Southland, 21, The vote for the training of teachers, increased last year from £6OO tc £IOOO, was divided equally between the normal schools at Christekureh and Dunedin. In other dis f .rict?j no'ably at Napier, attempts IwVe been liwde in soma degree fot th® training of teachers, but taking tha colony as a the provision made for this important need seems to full short of what is adequate, There ar& Maori village schools, with 3109 pupils, an increase of 44, There are 1703 inmates in tke industrial schools, ail increase of 35. On account of the of inmates of Government industrial BChdolsi there was, on December 31st, 1900, a balance ia the Post Office Savings Bank of £11,137, and on account of inmates on the boobs of private industrial schools £152?. The report deals at some letigih with manual abd technical festFiiction. It is Ironed that* especially in the schools, tn% fafet will not be lost sight of that manual training should not be treated as a subject apart ffom the res'!; of education, but that It should be co-ordin-ated with 'the other subjects of instruction, and that the introduction should have a marked influence in making all methods of teaching more ooncrste, more direct and more natural'. The trlining^of the percep l ive powci'g by observation an<3 ttife develop ■ ment of Reasoning pov»erp,. and training in the ready and cle\r expression of thought, the growth of literary and artistic taste, and of a sturdy, manly morality, all taken together, not my one of them separately, will mako a;ood citfeeras and good workman. It is for the locfil controlling authorities in all parts of the colony to take up she work that is now made possible for hem to doi lb is for tha various pubic associations and corporate bodies to lo their utmost to encourage those departments of the work in which they ire most interested, and it may not perhaps be bo much to hope that there nay bo found private doners to whom, is elsewhere, more especially in Great Britain and the United States, the enlowment of technical education *miy isem worthy of their generosity. Che total expenditure under the head >f technical instruction, exclusive of grants for buildinp, for the year 1900 va« £2690, as follows Capitation, 61555 5s 3d ; special grants under Act if 1895, £4OO ; subsidies on voluntary lontributions under section 1? of the ?LCt of 1900, £335 4slid ; incidentals, 6433 7s 6d. Considerable stimulus tap been given in the past to New Zealand students by the examinations leld here on behalf of the Science and Lrt Department (now the Board of Education), London, and of tho City ,nd Guilds of London Institute. It, is vorthy of consideration, however, vhethor the time ia not approaching vben some of these examinations should >e conducted by the Now Zealand Delartment itself. The dfiliy that is alnost inevitably associated with examnations conducted by or on behalf of sxamining bodies on the other Ride of he world would bn avoided if at least he more elementary subjects or wenches were dealt with entirely in he colony.