E.—l

78

This list, it will be noticed, contains schools of all sizes, from the largest to the smallest; the proportion of very small schools that find place in it is less than in previous years. In the following schools the percentage of failures was 50 and over: — _School. Pe paentL e.° f No. presented. School. P™S° f No.presented. Kyeburn ... ... 52 ... 36 pupils Dunrobin ... ... 56 ... 47 pupils Naseby ... ... 52 ... 200 „ Southbridge ... 56 ... 25 „ Otakou ... ... 52 ... 51 „ Bendigo ... ... 59 ... 22 „ Table Hill ... ... 54 ... 13 „ Kyeburn Diggings ... 62 ... 36 „ Class-subjects.—The marks assigned for class-subjects ranged from 72 to as low as 18, and the average percentage was 54. Of the 191 schools examined — 2( = 1 per cent.) gained from 72 to 70 per cent, of marks for class-subjects. 52 ( = 27 per cent.) „ 69 to 60 86 ( = 45 per cent.) „ 59 to 50 39 ( = 20 per cent.) „ 49 to 40 12 ( = 6 per cent.) „ 39 to 18 The two highest in this division of the school work were—Tarras, 72 per cent.; Moa Flat, 70 per cent. Both these schools were taught by young female teachers. Additional Subjects.—The marks assigned for additional subjects ranged from 101 to 25. The average was 69. Of the 191 schools examined— 10 ( = 5 per cent.) gained from ... ... 101 to 90 additional marks. 43 (=- 22 per cent.) „ ... ... ... 89 to 80 54 (= 28 per cent.) „ ... ... * ... 79 to 70 35 (= 19 per cent.) „ ... ... ... 69 to 60 33 (= 17 per cent.) „ ... ... ... 59 to 50 16 ( = 8 per cent.) „ ... ... ... 49 to 25 The ten highest were —Bannockburn, 101; Port Chalmers, 99 ; Cromwell, 97 ; Purakanui, 96 ; Lawrence, 94 ; Oamaru Middle, 93 ; Green Island, 92 ; Tokomairiro, 91; Albany Street, 90; Arthur Street, 90. The total of additional marks attainable was 120. The schools at which the marks gained were below 50 are without exception small schools, taught by a single teacher, in which the weight of the syllabus is most severely felt. Training College.—The report of the rector of the Training College is appended. Experience has proved beyond a doubt the very great value of the Training College as a means of securing a sufficient supply of well-educated and properly-trained teachers for the public schools. The Board feels so strongly in regard to this matter that it has strained a point, since the discontinuance of the Training Schools vote, to maintain the institution in Moray Place in a state of efficiency, in the hope that the Government and the Legislature will ere long see their way again to vote a grant in aid of training institutions in the larger centres of population. The Board would regard as a very great calamity the closing of the institution under its charge from want of sufficient funds, and would therefore strongly urge upon the Minister of Education his favourable consideration of this most important matter. The attendance during the year was — Students in 1890— M. F. Total. Left during 1890— M. F. Total. Bemaining from 1889 ... 22 37 59 Teaching in public schools ... 9 9 18 Admitted during 1890 ... 12 33 45 Awaiting appointment ... 1 1 2 Left during 1890 ... 12 16 28 On leave—at University ... 1 ] 2 On books, December, 1890 22 54 76 Died or left the service ... 2 4 6 The total cost of the institution for the year was —Salaries, £1,060; allowances to students, £1,198 3s. 7d.: total, £2,258 3s. 7d. Drawing Department.—The report of the headmaster of the drawing department is appended. The classes w 7ere attended during the year by 393 students, viz.: 106 teachers and pupil-teachers, sixty-five students in training, seventy-nine pupils in the afternoon classes, and 143 artisans and other pupils in the evening. The expenditure on this department for the year was—Salaries, £580; incidental expenses, £23 95.: total, £603 9s. The amount received from fees, &c, w7as £146 12s. Bd., and the net cost £456 16s. 4d. Finance. —The audited statement of the Board's income and expenditure for the year is appended hereunto. The sum paid in teachers' salaries, including bonuses on classification, and bonuses for instructing pupil-teachers, amounted to £62,558 4s. 2d. ; the amount paid to School Committees for incidental expenses was £4,465 2s. 7d.; the sum expended on school buildings amounted to £6,863 13s. 9d. A table giving the names of the teachers employed, their classification, and the annual income of each at the rate paid during the last quarter of the year, is given in Appendix A.* The same table shows the amount paid by the Board to each Committee in aid of the school fund, and the amount expended in the erection, enlargement, and improvement of school-buildings. The following statement shows the cost per pupil in average attendance for the past four years : —

* See pp. 43-51,