E—l.

The total expenditure by the Government in the way of capitation, subsidies, and grants was —for school classes, £21,260 19s. 2d. ; and for technical classes, £54,163 Bs. 6d. Full information regarding manual and technical instruction will be found in a separate paper (E.-5). Secondary Education. Number of Schools. The schools usually included in the list of secondary schools in this report which were open in 1908 were thirty in number, namely,— / (a.) " Endowed secondary schools " within the meaning of section 89 of the Education Act and included in the Eighth Schedule to the Act .. 25 (b.) Secondary schools within the meaning of the same section (89), but established by the Minister under section 94 .. .. .. 3 (c.) Other endowed secondary schools not coming within the definition of section 89 . . . . .. .. . . .. . . 2 TStal .. .. .. .. ... .. 30 Five of the endowed secondary schools named in the Schedule to the Act had not been established at the end of the year, although there were district high schools in the same places which were to some extent assisted by funds derived from the endowments of the secondary schools. In one of the cases referred to (the Gisborne High School) a secondary school proper was opened in February, 1909. A list of the schools is given in Table J2 of the special Report on Secondary Education (E.--6). The number of district high schools in operation during the year was sixty-six. Roll and Staff. The total number of pupils attending the thirty secondary schools in the last terms of 1907 and 1908 respectively were as follows : — , 1907. , 1908. , Boy.-!. Girls. Total. Beys. Girls. Total. Roll (exclusive of lower departments) 2,441 1,610 4,051 2,502 1,678 4,180 Number in lower departments .. 87 58 145 88 59 147 Total.. .. .. 2,528 1,668 4,196 2,590 1,737 4,327 Number of boarders (included above) 485 124 609 557 136 693 In the same years these schools were staffed as follows : — , 1907. . , 1908. , M. F. Total. M. F. Total. Regular staff . . . . .. 118 86 204 125 91 216 Part-time teachers . . .. .. 38 22 60 43 25 68 The average number of pupils per teacher (excluding part-time teachers) is thus seen to have been 20-6 in 1907, and 20 in 1908. The total number of pupils attending the secondary departments of the sixtysix district high schools in the two years, 1907, 1908, respectively, were — 1907. 1908. Boys 1,243 1,017 Girls 1,209 1,125 Total 2,452 2,142 Besides the head teachers, who generally take some part in the secondary instruction, there were employed in 1907 in the secondary departments of district high schools 101 special assistants—s3 men and 48 women —and last year 102 special assistants —namely, 55 men- and 47 women. The average number of pupils per teacher was 24-3 in 1907 and 21 in 1908. In addition to those in secondary schools and in the secondary departments of district high schools there should properly be included in the number of pupils under 5—E. I,

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