E.—B

1920. NEW ZEALAND.

EDUCATION: ANNUAL EXAMINATIONS. [In continuation of E.-8, 1919.]

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

No. 1. EXTRACT PROM THE FORTY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OP THE MINISTER OP EDUCATION. Annual Examinations. The annual examinations were conducted by the Education Department as usual for the various purposes of Junior and Senior National Scholarships, junior and senior free places in secondary schools, district high schools, and technical schools, and teachers' certificates. 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 19th to the 28th November, 1919, and from the sth to the 19th January, 1920, at fifty-eight centres. As in 1918, at the request of the Public Service Commissioner, the Department conducted an additional special Public Service Entrance Examination in June, 1919. The Public Service Senior Examination of January, 1920, was confined to returned soldier candidates who had previously obtained partial success in the examination and were desirous of completing their pass. In January, 1921, all officers of the Public Service who obtained a partial success in 1919 and who failed to complete the examination, in addition to returned soldier candidates, will be given a final opportunity of completing the Public Service Senior Examination, which will then be discontinued. In future, officers of the Public Service will be required to take the Matriculation Examination in lieu of the Public Service Senior Examination. 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 : — 1918-19. 1919-20. Number who entered .. .. .. .. .. 9,054 9,071 Number who actually sat for examination .. .. 6,515 7,739 Number of absentees .. .. .. .. ..2.539 1,332 In connection with the Junior National Scholarship Examination of November, 1919, the Department again endeavoured, as far as possible, to prevent the presentation of unprepared candidates, and the consequent heavy burden of work upon the examiners and unnecessary expense to the country. Head teachers were permitted to present, in general, not more than 10 per cent, of their Sixth Standard pupils for the examination, and secondary-school Principals were asked to take similar steps to ensure the putting-forward of only the best candidates. The number of candidates who sat in this examination shows an increase over last year. The percentage of failures is 50-3 as compared with 49-5 in 1918. The special admission of candidates who were too old to qualify for junior free places in the Certificate of Proficiency Examination was again necessary. The practice of granting senior free places to approved candidates without special examination, on the recommendation of the Principals of the secondary

I—E. 8.