E.—le

20

Special and Central Examinations. 23. The Inspector may also hold special examinations of candidates, whether of school age or not, for certificates of competency or for certificates of proficiency at any place and time that may seem fit to him, and may require candidates'for such special examinations to give fourteen days' notice of their intention to be examined. 24. By or on behalf of each candidate at such special examinations there shall be paid to the Inspector, or to the Secretary of the Education Board, if the Board shall so direct, the following fees, namely: If there be only one candidate, £1 ; if there be two candidates, 10s. for each candidate; if there be three candidates, (is. Bd. for each candidate; if there be four or more candidates, ."is. for each candidate. But no fee shall be payable in the case of any one examined at a school at the time of the Inspector's visit to such school. 25. The Inspectors of the several districts shall make an annual return, on a form furnished by the Department, showing with respect to eacli public school subject to their inspection the number of pupils in the several classes P to S7, and the numbers present at the time of the annual examination, as indicated in ilie class-lists submitted for their signature under the provisions of clause 6. The return shall also include for each school a statement of the average ages of the pupils in eacli of the classes at the time of such annual examination, and a summary of numbers and ages for the district as a whole The return shall lie accompanied by a report on the public schools of the district, dealing, for the schools generally, with such of the topics named in clause 12 ar it may seem expedient to include.

Sheet 2. (For the consideration of tin Conference of Inspectors of Schools, February, 1007.) REGULATIONS FOR INSPECTION AND EXAMINATION OF SCHOOLS UNDER " THE EDUCATION ACT, 1904." ROUGH DRAFT OF SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS (CLAUSES 'J(i ET SEQ.). Lower Division (P-S2). 26. The following shall be the subjects of instruction in all schools for Classes P, SI, and S2 : (1) English, (2) arithmetic, (3) drawing and handwork, (4) nature-study, (5) moral instruction, (6) singing, (7) physical instruction. Upper Division (S3-S6). 27. Subject to any optional limitations provided for in these regulations, the following shall be the subjects of instruction in all schools for Classes S3, S4, S5, and S6: (1) English, (2) arithmetic, (3) drawing and handwork, (4) nature-study and elementary science, (5) civics, history, descriptive and social geography, and morals, (6) singing, (7) physical instruction. Needlework must also be taken by all the girls in Classes S3 to S6 in every school where there is a female adult teacher, provided that girls who are attending a class in cookery, dressmaking, or laundry-work recognised under the regulations of the Manual and Technical Instruction Act need not take needlework while they are so attending. Class S7. 28. The following shall be the subjects of instruction in all schools for Class S7 : (1) English, (2) arithmetic, (3) civics, (4) physical instruction, (5) one of the subjects prescribed in clauses 23 (a) (1), 24, 25, 26, and 27 of the Regulations for Manual and Technical Instruction, together with one or more of the following: (6) drawing, (7) book-keeping and commercial correspondence, (8) elementary mathematics, (9) elementary mechanics, (10) geography, (11) history, (12) snorthand, (13) Latin, (14) French, (15) German: Provided that in schools situated more than five miles from any secondary school coining under seel ion 87 of the Act, or from any district high school, and in schools attached to training colleges, but in no other schools, (13) Latin, (14) French, and (15) German may be included in the list of subjects from which a selection may be made. 29. In places where there is a district high school or a secondary school coming under section 87 of the Act, and in places from which the pupils can travel daily to such a school, the work specified for Class S7 shall not i>e required. Syllabus. 30. The following is the syllabus of work in the several subjects for the various standards to be read in connection witli the more fully detailed instructions and suggestive notes included in clause et seq. Class P and SI. (1.) English: — (a). Reading: Reading from the blackboard and from books. (6.) Composition: Oral formation of simple sentences upon matter contained in the reading-lessons. Easy " observation talks " and " picture talks." Oral correction of errors in the ordinary speech of the children. Answering to be in complete sentences. (c) Writing: Transcription from script of letters and figures, of easy words, and (where possible) of very easy short sentences used in the reading-lessons and in the oral composition lessons.