31

E.—l

career are also provided—the study of Latin and frequently of French, also, especially in the case of girls, of mathematics being excluded from these courses. Prom an examination of the numbers of secondary-school pupils studying various subjects, it appears that Latin is now taken by only 55 per cent, of the boys and by 37 per cent, of the girls, while French is taken by 88 per cent, of the boys and by 94 per cent, of the girls. 719 boys, or 15 per cent., take agriculture as a subject, and 158, or 3 per cent., take dairy-work. Book-keeping and commercial work are taken by 35 per cent, of the boys and by 20 per cent, of the girls. 64 per cent, of the girls were studying home science in 1919, while such subjects as needlework, cookery, home nursing, and laundry-work were taken by large numbers. The fact that some of the subjects mentioned are studied during only a portion of the time spent by a pupil at the secondary school results in a smaller percentage appearing to study such subjects than is actually the case. Courses bearing more or less on rural pursuits are taken in many district high schools, 69 per cent, of the boys and 32 per cent, of the girls studying agricultural science, 24 per cent, of the pupils taking dairy-work, 55 per cent, of the boys learning woodwork, and 52 per cent, of the girls cookery or needlework. Latin is taken by only 31 per cent, of the pupils, and French by 53 per cent. Commercial work is taken by 25 per cent, of the pupils. The task of providing courses for pupils desiring tuition in. subjects of a more or less directly practical and vocational nature, and also for pupils wishing to follow a more academic course, constitutes the peculiar difficulty of district high schools where the number of pupils and the staffs are comparatively small. Hostels for Pupils of Secondary Schools. (Table K5 in E-6.) The fact of large numbers of children having to live away from home while attending the secondary schools is making the provision of hostels where the pupils can be properly cared for and supervised increasingly necessary. A number of controlling authorities have recently established or enlarged hostels in connection with their schools, the Government assisting, where necessary, with, substantial monetary grants. Of thirty-four schools twenty-six now have hostels attached to them providing accommodation for a total of 1,201 boys and 341 girls attending the secondary departments and for 248 lower-department pupils. In addition to these pupils, 841 are returned as boarding either in private establishments approved by the Principals of the schools or in entirely independent homes. To make satisfactory provision for these pupils and for others who are prevented by the boarding difficulty from attending school, or who are forced to make long railway journeys every day, new or enlarged hostels are required in many instances. The controlling authorities and the Government are giving attention to the matter, which, it is hoped, will gradually be satisfactorily dealt with. Free Secondary Education. (Table K4 in E.-0.) Free places are divided into two classes-—junior and senior—both being tenable at secondary schools and district high schools, or, under somewhat different conditions, at technical schools. Generally speaking, junior free places are tenable for two years, with a possible extension in certain cases to three years. In the case of their being held at district high schools they are tenable to the age of seventeen. The means of qualification are- — (1.) For entrance to secondary schools and district high schools— (a) Special examinations for Junior National Scholarships, (b) the certificate of proficiency. (2.) For entrance to technical high schools the means of qualification named in (1), or the certificate of competency in S6, with a special endorsement of merit in handwork and elementary science, which, for the purposes of technical schools is deemed to be equivalent to a certificate of proficiency.