E.—l

balance is applied for the purposes of education. The sum thus applied amounted last year to £55,139, and was allocated as follows : Primary education, £27,570 ; secondary education, £8,270 ; manual, and technical instruction, £8,270; higher education, £5,515 ; Native schools, £2,757 ; school for the deaf, £300; education of the blind, £57 ; Otekaike Home for Backward Children, £300 ; industrial schools, £2,100. A NNUAL EXAMINATIO NS. (Sec also E.-8.) The annual examinations were conducted by the Education Department as usual for the various purposes of Junior National Scholarships, junior and senior free places in secondary schools, district high schools, and technical schools, and teachers' certificates. On behalf of the various Education Boards examinations were conducted for Junior and Senior Board Scholarships and for the First Examination of Pupil-teachers. Also, by arrangement with the Public Service Commissioner, examinations were held for admission to and promotion in the Public Service. The examinations were held from the 18th to the 25th November, and on the 26th and 27th November, 1914, and from the sth to the 20th January, 1915, at fifty-eight centres. The following table shows collectively, in comparison with the preceding year, the number who entered for the various examinations above enumerated, the number present, and the number of absentees :■ — Number who entered, 1914-15 .. .. .. .. ..10,126 1913-14 .. .. .. .. .. 9,613 Number who actually sat for examination, 1914-15 .. .. .. 8,727 1913-14 .. .. .. 8,305 Number of absentees .. .. 1914-15 .. .. .. 1,399 .... 1913-14 .. .. .. 1,308 The high proportion of absentees—approximately 14 per cent, of the number of candidates—in the last two years is attributable to the following causes : — (1.) In the case of senior free-place candidates, to the application of a principle—now in operation for several years—by which awards of senior free places have been made with the concurrence of the Inspector-General of Schools on the recommendation of the principal * of the secondary school attended, or, for district high schools, of an Inspector of Schools. In such cases the candidate has not been required to attend the examination for which he originally entered. (2.) In the case of the teachers' examinations, to a somewhat similar provision embodied in the Training College Regulations. (3.) To the usual causes, mainly illness and lack of preparation, the latter being particularly evident in the case of the Public Service Senior candidates, many of whom, being led to enter by various considerations, found themselves finally unprepared to meet the examiner. The number of candidates who actually presented themselves in the examina-tion-room is given below. For the sake of comparison the figures for the previous three years are also given : — Junior National and Education Board Scholarships and ' junior free places .. .. .. .. ..2,564 2,934 3,154 3,562 Intermediate (Education Board Senior Scholarships, .senior free places, First Pupil-teachers) and Public Service Entrance .. .. .. .. .. 2,563 2,770 2,756 2,739 Teachers D and C .. .. .. .. .. 1,626 1,753 1,524 1,576 Public Service Senior .. .. 518 574 871 804 Typists' Examination .. .. .. .. .. •. .. 46 Totals .. .. *.. .. .. 7,271 8,031 8,305 8,727 The Department's examination for Junior National Scholarships has latterly been used by all the Education Boards of the Dominion for the award of their junior scholarships, superseding thus without exception any examination locally

71