E.—B

1910. NEW ZEALAND.

EDUCATION: ANNUAL EXAMINATIONS. [In continuation of E.-8, 1909.]

Presented to both Homes of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Inspeotor-Generai, of Schools to the Hon. the Minister op Education. Sir, — Education Department, Wellington, (sth July, I'JlO. 1 have the honour to present the following report of the annual examinations conducted by the Department for the various purposes of Junior National Scholarships. Junior Free Places in secondary schools, district high schools, and technical schools, Senior Free Places in secondary schools and district high schools, for admission to or promotion in the Civil Service, and for teachers' certificates. The examinations were held between the 20th and the 29th November. 1909, on the Ist and 2nd December, 1909. and between the sth and the 19th days of January, 1910. at the thirteen towns which are the seats of Education Boards, and also at Aratapu, Arrowtown, Ashburton, Balclutha, Carterton, Chatham Islands, Dannevirke, Eltham, Gisborne, Gore, Hamilton. Hastings, Hawera, Lawrence, Levin, Marton, Masterton, Naseby, (>amaru, Opotiki, Pahiatua, Palmerston North, Paparoa, Patea, Pukekohe, Rangiora, Reefton, Riverton, Stratford, Taihape, Takaka. Tapanui. Tauranga, Te Aute, Thames, Waihj, Waimate North, Waimate South, Wairoa, Westport, Whangarei. The total number of candidates entering for the November-December and January tests jointly was 7,267, or 1,150 more than in the preceding year. Of this total the number actually present at examination was 6,508, the difference (759) being accounted for partly on the usual grounds, and partly by the operation of a new clause in the Regulations for Senior Free Places, introduced in 1908, under which a number of candidates recommended on an accrediting principle therein embodied were exempted from examination, and accordingly did not present themselves. In the several examinations the following were the numbers present: For the Junior National Scholarship and Junior Free Place Examination, 2,214 ; for the Civil Service Junior and allied examinations, 2,369 ; for the Civil Service Senior Examination, 443 ; for Certificate Examinations, 1,482. The Department's examination for Junior National Scholarships is now used by all the Education Boards of the Dominion for the award of their Junior Scholarships, superseding thus without exception any examination locally conducted in earlier years for this purpose. For the award of their Senior Scholarships the Boards commonly, but not exclusively, use the Civil Service Junior Examination. Apart from this extension of its functions, the Civil Service Junior Examinaton is employed for a variety ofj'purposes. Either in its proper competitive form, or with certain modifications in selected subjects to meet the needs of a non-competitive qualification, it is thus used not only as an entrance examination for the Civil Service of the Dominion, but as a scholarship examination, an examination for the Senior Free Place qualification in secondary schools and district high schools, an examination for pupil-teachers of the second or third years, and a qualifying examination for the probationer appointments recently instituted under the provisions of the Education Act Amendment Act, 1908. The following table gives a comparative statement of the number of candidates examined under the principal groupings during tiie past five years : — L905-e. L 906-7. L907-8i 1908-9. 1909-10. Junior National and Education Board Scholarships and Junioi l'iw Places 790 1,46s 1,175 1,765 2,214 Civil Service Junior, Senior Free Places, Education Board Senior Scholarships, First Pupil-teachers ... 1,305 2,128 2,178 2,158 2,3(i9 Teachers D and C ... ... ... 749 1,051 1,184 1,223 1,482 Civil Service Senior ... ... 141 183 231 373 443 2,985 4,815 5,063 5,51<i 6,50s 1 -E. 8.