E.—2.

[Appendix C.

In the report of the Minister of Education for 1909 the numbers of certificated and uncertificated teachers, omitting those employed in Grades 1 and 0 (very small schools in which unoertificated teachers are mainly employed), are represented as 802 and 19*8 per cent, respectively. If the numbers given above for this district arc treated on the same basis, the proportion would show B.'-i - 4 per cent, of certificated to 16(> per cent, of uncertifioated, so that in this respect the district does not suffer by comparison with the rest of the Dominion. Of late the teaching profession can hardly !><■ described as highly popular with the "brainiest" of our youth, and the many advantages bestowed upon it by recent legislation have probably noi yet rendered it sufficiently attractive, though present indications are towards a turn of the tide An attraction that is still lacking would he afforded by the adoption of a definite scheme of promotion, which would guarantee t<> a oapable teacher who has proved his ability and given every satisfaction in his professional work some certainty of advancement within a reasonable time. It would necessitate as keen a competition in matters pertaining to his profession, attach more value to the personality of the teacher, and altogether remove from him the temptation to gain favour by arts or qualifications that in no way increase his fitness or add to his dignity as a teacher. The Inspectors' annual return for the year 1910 contains the following summary : —

The returns have been made out from the class-lists furnished us by head teachers on the completion of their annual examinations in December. In some instances those examinations were held prior to November, the classification and promotions being; in many of the small sole-teacher schools revised, modified, or wholly determined by us. In all cases ages were computed as on Ist December, 1910. As many of the class-lists, of which so much complaint was made last year, came under our review while in the presence of the teachers, we more readily got the necessary alterations and amendments made, and so found less difficulty this year in compiling our return. A most common fault is that of inconsistency between the marking and the promotions determined by it. Scarcely any school return was entirely free from this. In arithmetic, for example, in which promotion is determined by the marks in that subjeel alone, instances were to be found, even among our leading schools, of a pupil with a mark below the general pass-mark being promoted, and that without a single word in explanation of such action. In English the regulation making composition as well as reading essential to promotion was often lost sight of, and so also was the provision that .writing or spelling is necessary. One hundred and three of the Standard VII pupils belong to the secondary classes of our district high schools. Standards VI, V, and IV are each somewhat smaller in numbers this year by about 35, but all the lower classes are larger, the preparatory by 172. In hie report to the Minister of Education the Inspector-General of Schools points out that the proportion that tha children in the preparatory classes bear to the whole roll has steadily increased thioughout the Dominion for live years back, till in 111(1!) it amounted to .'i6'4 per cent. In this district the percentage at the same time was 352 per cent., somewhat below the general average, but this year it has increased to 37 per cijnt. In his investigation into the causes of the increase the Inspector-tleneral attributes it in part to a Larger proportion of children between the ages of five and seven entering the schools, but mainly to the fact that the children are spending a longer time in preparatory classes than they formerly spent, lie also remarks: ' There is little doubt that, generally speaking, more attention has been paid of late years to the methods of teaching young children: more natural methods have been introduced, more handwork, and probably more work calculated to call forth the natural activities and to stimulate tho imagination of those in the ' infant ' classes. Certainly it is not desirable to l>egin what is called the ' formal work ' too soon, even in reading, and still less in arithmetic, but there is surely no reason why from the very beginning there should not be systematic training of language, especially by means of stories toll to the children and by the children, and by means of the simple reporting by the children of facts coming naturally within their observation." The newer methods in the infant classes may justify the spending of a longer time in these classes, although in other countries, where the newer methods have been longer in vogue and are more fully carried out, it has not been found necessary to retard the progress of the children in reading. If the standard of work in the preparatory classes had been generally raised, then the

XXXII

Classes. Number on Roil. Present at the Average Age Annual of Pupils Examination, in each Class. Average Age (or the Dominion in 1909. Standard VII VI V IV III II I Preparatory ... 117 425 516 585 666 704 740 2,213 Yrs. mos. 103 14 10 411 13 10 501 13 2 5G5 12 21 648 11 4" 685 10 2£ 716 9 1 2,048 6 11 Yrs. mos. 15 0 13 11 13 0 12 3 11 4 10 3 9 2 6 11 Totals for 1910 Totals for 1909 5,966 5,795 5,671 5,540 11 11 5 4