3

E.—lc

In New South Wales the number of pupil-teachers is to adult teachers as 1 to 3 ; in Victoria it is as Ito 1-4; and in New Zealand it is as Ito 275. In Otago the ratio is as Ito 5. It is obvious that the ratio in Victoria is too high for efficiency. The following table shows how the public schools of New South Wales are classed, and the salary attaching to the head-teachership of each class : —

If a female is head teacher of the 7th, Bth, 9th, or 10th class of school she receives £12 a year less than the amounts given above, and in schools ranking below the 4th class the salaries of unmarried male teachers and of married teachers not assisted by their wives are £12 per annum less than the foregoing rates. The highest salary of the teacher of a provisional school is £88 per annum. Any public school may be declared a superior public school if it is found that the attendance thereat is sufficient to enable to be formed a class of not fewer than twenty pupils who have been educated up to the standard that completes the course prescribed for the Fourth Class. In such schools, in addition to more advanced work in the ordinary subjects, the boys are taught mathematics, Latin, and science, and the girls French and sanitary science, and both sexes such other subjects as the Minister may from time to time prescribe. The course of instruction for the highest class of a superior school is that prescribed for the Fifth Class of public schools, and also such subjects as shall be prescribed annually for the Junior aud Senior Examinations of the Sydney University. The total number of such schools was, at the end of 1900, 107. In many ways they answer to our district high schools. The fee is the same as that for the ordinary public school—namely, 3d. a week per pupil. Except through the medium of bursaries and scholarships, there is no free education in New South Wales. In addition to the superior public schools, there are four State high schools, the function of which appears to be the same as that of superior public schools—namely, to prepare pupils for the examinations mentioned above. The fee for the high schools is £3 3s. per quarter. The amount of fees collected in 1900 from the schools of all classes and paid into the Treasury was £82,493 18s., which is nearly a ninth of the amount expended in education during that year. The work prescribed for the Fourth Class of New South Wales public schools is similar to that of our Standard V., with the addition of Euclid to proposition 12; and that prescribed for the Fifth Class is similar to the work of our Standard VI., with the addition of algebra to simple equations, Euclid, (Books I. and II.), elementary Latin for boys, and elementary French for girls. In Latin, French, and algebra, the work does not differ much from that of our Standard VII.; but in Euclid it is much beyond what we usually attempt outside the district high schools. On the other hand, our English goes beyond that of the New South Wales class. In New South Wales, as in New Zealand, the Education Department has to do with secondary as well as with primary education. For the teaching of secondary work in primary schools the provision made by the New Zealand Department is, I think, proportionately equal to that made by the New South Wales Department; but against the four high schools of the latter may be placed the twenty-six high schools of the former. In 1900 there were in the New South Wales high schools 127 scholarship-holders and 93 bursary-holders, while for the same year there were in the New Zealand high schools 349 scholarship-holders. To realise the significance of those figures, we must remember that the population of New South Wales is nearly twice that of New Zealand. Again, the Australian universities are, like that of New Zealand, more or less State institutions. In each of the Australian States there is but one university centre; in New Zealand there are four. The conclusion seems plain: the State educational machinery of New Zealand is, in respect to the usual branches of an English education, not inferior to that of the Australian States. For purposes of comparison, I submit the following information respecting New Zealand schools, teachers, and salaries : Number of public schools at the end of 1900 ... .. ... 1,674 Number of adult teachers ... ... ... ... ... 2,631 Number of pupil-teachers ... ... ... ... ... 955 Classified adult teachers ... ... ... ... ... 2,384 Unclassified adult teachers ... ... ... ... ... 247 Percentage of classified adult teachers ... ... ... ... 90 Percentage of classified teachers with a University degree ... ... 10 Percentage of classified teachers with certificates representing two years' 9 work at the University

Class. Average Attendance. Salary. Class. Average Attendance. Salary. I. II. III. IV. V. Over 600 400 to 500 300 to 400 200 to 300 100 to 200 £ 350 300 224 216 204 VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. 50 to 100 40 to 50 30 to 40 20 to 30 Under 20 £ 195 171 148 125 103