E.—l

85

table shows the number that went up for examination, the number that passed, and the number that failed:— Presented. Passed. Failed. Exempted. Absent. First class ... ... ... 28 27 1 5 Second class ... ... ... 21 19 2 Third class ... ... ... 15 14 1 Fourth class ... ... ... 31 31 ... 1 2 95 91 4 6 2 The applicants for positions as pupil-teachers are as numerous as formerly. The number of girls who apply is out of all proportion to the number of openings for their services. Several of the recently-appointed pupil-teachers have passed the matriculation examination of the New Zealand University, while a few have passed the examination for a teacher's certificate. Two pupil-teachers were removed on account of twice failing to pass the prescribed examinations. Finance.—A general statement of the receipts and expenditure for the year, certified by the Auditor-General, is hereunto appended. Sum expended in teachers' salaries (including bonuses on classification and bonuses for instructing pupil-teachers), £60,979 os. 6d.; sum paid to School Committees for incidental expenses, £4,499 Is. 6d.; sum expended in the erection, enlargement, and improvement of schools, and purchase of sites, £4,854 7s. Id. A detailed statement of these payments appears in Appendix A,* which also gives the names of the teachers employed, and the annual salary of each at the rate paid during the December quarter. Inspection.—The annual report of the Board's Inspectors is forwarded herewith. All the schools that were open throughout the year were examined, with the exception of two that were closed during the last month of the last quarter owing to the prevalence of measles, and nearly all were inspected. The following is an abstract of the work done by the Inspectors during the year:—

Of the pupils examined, 84 per cent, passed the standards for which they were presented. The percentage of failures for the whole of che district was 14. The epidemic of measles, which broke out about the middle of the year, and visited nearly all the schools of the district, has had only a very slight influence on the examination results, which fall little below those attained last year. The average percentage of marks for class-subjects is 54, and the mean of the additional marks 70. The examination reports show a very great increase in the number of pupils absent from examination, the total of absentees being nearly double what it was last year. This increase is evidently due to the prevalence of sickness about the time when the examinations were held, and it is not at all likely that it will be maintained in coming years. The average ages at which Standards 111. and IV. were passed remain the same as those for last year, but Standard I. has, on the average, been passed one month earlier, and Standards 11., V., and VI. respectively three, two, and three months later. The number of pupils over eight years of age not presented for Standard I. was 1,514, about a hundred more than the preceding year's total. In the majority of cases, what appeared to be satisfactory reasons were assigned for their being withheld from examination in Standard I. Lateness in entering school is one of the reasons most frequently given, but there is no means of ascertaining whether attendance at other schools has been overlooked. Dulness and excuses of like import are also reasons commonly assigned. Tkaining College.—The report of the Eector of the Training College is appended. The attendance of students during the year was, — Students in the course of 1893— m. P. Total. Left during 1893— M. IP. Total. Eemaining from 1892 ... 35 37 72 Teaching in public schools 13 15 28 Admitted during 1893 ... 9 25 34 Awaiting appointment (some Left during 1893 ... 22 24 46 engaged private teaching) 27 9 On books, December, 1893... 22 38 60 On leave at University ... 7 2 9 The cost of the institution for the year was—Salaries, £1,057 10s.; allowances to students, £1,069 3s. 4d.; incidentals, £15 10s. 5d.: total, £2,142 3s. 9d. Truancy.—The Board observes with satisfaction that the Government last session introduced a Bill to transfer to Boards the entire responsibility of enforcing the compulsory clauses of the Education Act, but it regrets exceedingly that the state of business did not allow the measure to be considered by the House. It is to be hoped that an effort to reintroduce the Bill will be made at an early period of the ensuing session, as the proposed change is proved by the Board's experience to be a much-needed one. The Board ventures to suggest to the Minister that while dealing with the question of truancy he should ask Parliament to invest the Boards with power to effectively enforce the compulsory clauses, which in the present state of the law cannot be done. Experience in Dunedin, as in all large centres, shows that the non-attendance at school of large numbers of children of statutory school-age, and their employment in factories, &c, are almost entirely due to

* See ante, pp. 47-54. t Thirty-four of the schools in this column are reckoned twice over, as two Inspectors worked together in examining them.

Inspector. Time employed. Distance travelled. Inspection Visits. Schools examined.! Mr. Petrie Mr. Taylor Mr. Goyen 1,902 hours 1,937 „ 1,949 „ 3,703 miles 3,761 „ 4,177 „ 81 89 90 74: 74 85