42

E.—IB

At the Lawrence District High School the Latin classes showed very careful and successful teaching. The translations and the grammatical questions were equally well answered. In French all the classes had been taught in a very thorough manner. Very high marks were gained, only one pupil gaining less than 80 per cent. In English both classes showed a very satisfactory acquaintance with the work read. Difficult words and passages were fairly explained, and the incidents of the story were well known. In geometry the first class answered well, both in the written and in the viva voce examination, and most of the pupils in the lower classes answered very creditably. The work read by the different classes in algebra was thoroughly known. In all the district high schools, French and the mathematical subjects were examined by Mr. Groyen, and Latin and English by myself. I have, &c, The Secretary, Otago Education Board. Donald Peteie, M.A., Inspector.

SOUTHLAND. Sib,— Education Office, Invercargill, 13th March, 1883. I have the honour to submit to the Board my first general report. It refers to the last five months of the year 1882. As the Board is aware, I entered on my work in August; the examinations of the schools were then already overdue, and I at once set myself to overtake as much of that work as time permitted. The latter half of November and the month of December I devoted to the scholarship and pupil-teacher examinations, and, by permission of the Board, to the examination of the Southland high schools. The short time at my disposal did not admit of my examining all the schools before Christmas. I examined twenty-six of them, but, as these included all the larger schools save one, the number of children examined was 3,155, or about three-fifths of the whole number on the school rolls of the district. The following table summarizes the results of my examinations; it shows the number of children entered for examination in each standard, the number who were successful, and the number of successful pupils in every hundred entered: —

Table I.

It will thus be seen that 68 6 per cent, of those entered for examination in standards were successful in passing. If, however, the whole number of children attending these schools, including infants, be taken into account, the percentage of those who passed in. standards is 43'7, as appears from Table 11. below:— Table 11. Number entered in standards ... ... ... ... 2,013 Infants and others below Standard I. ... ... ... ... 1,142 3,155 Number who passed in standards ... ... ... ... 1,38L Percentage who passed in standards ... ... ... ... 43'7 One of the first thoughts impressed on my mind on visiting your schools is well brought out in the preceding table (Table II.). It is the very large proportion of children who are too young or too ignorant to be presented even for Standard I. The number is 1,142 out of 3,155, or about 36 percent. I look upon this large infant class as a very important factor in our schools, and I have been careful, following in this the laudable practice of my predecessor, always to submit the infants to a general examination when examining the elder children. In the large schools, situated in the centres of population, I find that due provision is made for the training and education of these infants, and the best attention that special and skilful teachers can bestow upon them is developing their intelligence by methods adapted to their age ; but in many of the up-country schools these classes, which make no show in the examination register, and require toil monotonous and wearisome from its elementary character, are sadly neglected. It is worthy of note, however, that the experience of this school district demonstrates that in the long run there is no surer method of achieving success in school work, and the high percentage of passes in standards which, proves the success, than by devoting much time and labour to the teaching and training these junior scholars. Of course the simultaneous method of instruction should be largely resorted to for the purpose. I regret to be obliged to confess that the opinion I have formed of the state of education in the district is not a high one. The machinery exists, but not the full and accurate knowledge which should be the product of this machinery. This opinion, which has gradually formed itself in my mind in my visits to the schools for the purpose of examination, is confirmed by Table I. of this report,

Number 01 Pupils entered for Examination in Standard. IN umber or Pupils who passed. Percentage. Standard I. Standard TI. Standard III. Standard IV. Standard V. Standard VI. 534 580 543 237 97 22 450 422 382 127 38 12 84-2 727 61-1 53 5 39-1 545 2,013 1,831 686