E.—lb

16

exactly arranged to supply the wants of each district. The number of pupils returned as belonging to the schools at the end. of the year was 6,012, whilst the average attendance for the December quarter was 4,843, or 812 per cent, of the roll-number. The schools were staffed by forty-seven head teachers, thirty-eight assistants, sixteen ex-pupil-teachers, and fifty-one pupil-teachers. On the estimate that two pupil-teachers are equivalent to one assistant or principal teacher, the staff employed is equal to one pupil-teacher for every twenty-one children in average attendance. No new schools were opened during the year, nor were any efforts made to provide the deficiencies in the way of buildings which I pointed out in my last report as being necessary. The teaching at the Napier Main School, at Gisborne, Patutahi, Ashley-Clinton, and Matamau is carried on under conditions by no means favourable to good progress, and nothing has been done to alter what it is only possible to characterize as an unsatisfactory state of affairs. I regret also that nothing has been done in the way of repairs to the school buildings and to the residences. A heavy expenditure must be incurred at no distant date unless steps are taken to paint the buildings and carry out minor repairs which School Committees, though very desirous of carrying out, are unable to undertake with the funds placed at their disposal. Compared with last year the increase in the school attendance is small, but this is in consequence of the great amount of sicknes that has prevailed in most of the school districts for more than six months of the year. A number of the schools had to close for several weeks owing to the absence of so many pupils from sickness, and the general effects have been such that the average attendance for each of the three quarters ending June, September, and December was much lower than that for the March quarter. Signs of improvement were apparent in the December returns of attendance, but still the results are unsatisfactory, as they point to the fact that nearly two hundred fewer children were attending the Board schools during the December quarter than were attending in March. I have noticed that several Committees instituted proceedings against parents under section 92 of the Act for non-attendance at school, but the enforcement of attendance is not popular with the Committees generally, as it tends to arouse strong local jealousies in small communities, where every man deems himself as good as his neighbour. All the schools have been duly examined and reported on as required by departmental regulations. They have also been visited at other times as far as circumstances have allowed for the purpose of judging as to the character of the teaching and the power of controlling classes or departments in the case of those teachers who hold certificates of competency from the Government. The number of pupils whose names appeared on the examination schedules as belonging to the schools at the time of the examination was 5,732, whilst there were 3,732 children, or 65"1 per cent. of the whole, presented for examination in standards. Eighty-six pupils were absent from school on examination day, 126 were " excepts " under the regulations, 685 failed to meet the requirements, leaving 2,788 pupils, or a little over 486 per cent, of those presented in standards, for promotion to a higher class. The following table contains a summary of the results in each of the standards. For the purpose of comparison the totals for the years 1888 and 1889 are also given in the table : —

In what is known as the Inspector's " Summary of results for each school," there will be found a table containing the percentage of passes, the percentage of marks gained in class-subjects, and the marks gained for additional subjects by each school in the district. Of standard passes nine schools passed 55 per cent, or more of their pupils in the examination; sixteen schools passed 45 per cent, and under 55 per cent, of their pupils; whilst the remaining twenty-two schools varied in their passes between 44 per cent, and 9-3 per cent. In the class-subjects five schools obtained over 80 per cent, of the possible marks ; twenty-seven others obtained marks varying from 60 to 80 per cent., and the remaining fifteen schools obtained fewer than 60 per cent, of marks; one of them falling as low as 12-| per cent. In every school additional subjects were taken up; repetition being taken in forty-two schools; drill, &c, in twenty-eight; singing in thirty-five ; needlework in forty-one; extra drawing in two; whilst in the case of forty-two schools marks were given for a knowledge of the subject-matter of the reading lesson. The results for the various schools show wide differences in the standard of attainments, but

Classes. Presented. Absent. Examined. Excepted. Failed. Passed. Average Age. Above Standard VI. Standard VI. ... v.... IV.... III.... II.... I.... Preparatory ... 47 142 339 552 785 823 1,044 2,000 47 4 138 7 331 11 341 24 . 761 21 ' 802 18 1,026 4 6 21 28 32 35 44 114 117 150 130 130 99 211 403 583 640 861 Yrs. m. 14 3 13 5 12 3 11 4 10 5 9 0 5,732 86 3,646 126 695 2,788 Totals for 1888 Totals for 1889 5,578 5,691 118 66 I 3,468 3,539 147 134 889 641 2,566 2,897 11 10 11 9 * Mean age, 11 years 9 months.