Appendix D.]

E.—2.

The following is an approximately correct statement of the number of students attending the various branches of study: C English, 29; mathematics, 19; physics, 10; chemistry, 3; economics, 8; education, 45; senior English, 21; Latin, 40; geology and palaeontology, 4; mental science, 15; French, 13. I may say that I am much gratified with the success of the students and the position they take in the University class-lists. All of the senior and some of the junior classes are quite up to the standard of the B.A. degree, and it is therefore very creditable that of the fifty-nine seniors ten passed in one subject, five passed in two subjects, nineteen in three subjects, seven passed in four, and three in five subjects. As most of these classes are held outside of College hours, it speaks very highly for the desire of the students to improve their educational status that they should devote so much of their leisure time to private study. r l hey appreciate the advantages of a University training. Quite a number of them take leading places in the University classes, as evidence of which I give the record for the past two years. Something over fifty students kept terms — i.e., passed in at least two classes in each year— and thirty-eight presented themselves for the B.A. degree in November. A considerable number of them were placed in the third class at the local examination. This does not give an assurance that they will succeed in the home examination, but it is evidence that they have made an honest effort to improve their education, and they have—the most of them—a good chance of passing. Professional and Practical Training. —lt may be of advantage to those engaged in work of the training colleges of the Dominion if I give a precis of the work undertaken by the students of the Otago College for the year. I have kept a very accurate and detailed account of the daily work of each student for the two years. It shows how many hours he lias worked, he has taught, the department of the practice-school in which he was placed, the subject or subjects he taught during the course. My records show the number of hours given to observation, to discussion of methods, and to actual class or sectional-class teaching. I give a typical and average case from the lists of 1911 and 1912 : — The junior course (men): Methods of teaching, lectures and discussions, 164 hours; observation and practice in teaching, ninety-two hours. The same course was followed for the junior women, with the difference that every woman student spent from two to three weeks in the kindergarten department, during which she was, of course, absent from lecture and discussion, and had special practice in teaching sewing in standard classes, and also special hours in physical drill in Standards I to VI. The second-year or senior course : Methods of teaching, lectures and discussions, twelve hours; observation and practice, 287 hours, or a total of twelve weeks' practical training, and that with a senior class of sixty students. The distribution of the practice over the various subjects and classes may be stated in this way : Each woman spent three weeks in the rural schools, and each male student one fortnight. In addition to the general practice stated above, each student gave a number of special lessons to a whole class or section of a class as follows : Nature-study two, science three, singing seven, handwork four, and drawing six lessons, and six lessons in physical class-drill. These lessons were given in Standards I to VI, and do not include lessons and practice in the infant departments and rural schools. For instance, in the case of nature-study, the lessons referred to are those given in the Standards I to 111, but do not include lessons on the same subject given in addition during the ordinary course of practice in the infant department and rural schools. Trained Teachers' Certificates. —The Otago Board annually awards a Training College certificate to students leaving the College at the end of a two-years course of training. The conditions on which these have been presented this years are as follows : (1) Students must have either a full D or full C certificate; (2) a pass in at least three branches of drawing; (3) practice and training in school science, and some one branch of handwork; (4) passed an examination in physical drill; and (5) received at least six satisfactory reports on their work during their final year. As the Education Department propose to issue trained-teachers' certificates, it will be now unnecessary, I suppose, for the Otago Board to issue a separate and local certificate. The Department proposes, and I think rightly, to hold examinations for these certificates at the College by the staff of the College. I have endeavoured this year to fulfil the requirements of the Department, but not quite as fully as I should have wished. In awarding these certificates account will be taken of the course of work followed by the students at University classes. This is a very great improvement on the method of former years, when a student was subjected to a series of examinations at the end of the year at the College and the University, and then had to submit to further examination in the science subjects at the beginning of the next year. This change will necessarily promote some rearrangement of college terms and vacations. College Terms and Vacations. —ln the past the College year has begun on the Ist March and closed in the second or third w*eek in December, the midsummer holidays extending over a period of ten weeks. If to this we add three weeks University midwinter holidays and the term holidays of the practice school, we find that the Training College, in so far as it is related to the Normal School, is practically closed for some fifteen or sixteen weeks during the year. Obviously this organization will curtail very considerably the time that should be given both to study and to practice. The Training College year and the practice-school year should be synchronous. I do not suggest for a moment that the holidays of the Principal should be curtailed—he needs them all —but arrangements might easily be made with the headmaster of the Normal School whereby instruction and practice might be given as soon as the Normal School opens. Physical Training at the College. —Mr. Hanna gives the students an excellent training, and much credit is due to him for his efforts in improving the general health and physical equipment of our students. I have always felt, however, that the students might have access to the gymnasium more frequently than they do. Mr. Hanna fears that accidents might happen if the students were allowed free access to the gymnasium, and I agree with him; but I know it is the

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