E.—l.

50

or an educational bursary as described above may receive in addition an allowance of £10 per annum, together with a boarding-allowance of £30 per annum if obliged to live away from home while attending a University college. One bursar, after completing his secondary-school course, continued his bursary at a University college, taking an engineering course. Workers' Educational Association. The Workers' Educational Association, which works in conjunction with the four University colleges, continued its activities in 1920 with satisfactory results. Tutorial and preliminary classes are conducted for working men and women in such subjects as economics, psychology, industrial history, English literature, English composition, modern history, electricity, and hygiene; in fact, the association announces its readiness to establish classes in almost any subject for which a sufficient number of students will be forthcoming. Members of the staffs of the University colleges and other highly qualified educationists act as tutors of the classes. Over fifty classes were held in 1920, with a roll number of over 1,200 and an average attendance approaching 800. The classes were held for the most part in the large cities, although in the Wellington centre particularly classes were held in a number of the smaller towns. The Government now contributes directly £2,500 per annum to the movement, in addition to which £1,250 paid by the Government out of the National Endowment Fund to the University of New Zealand is devoted to the same object, making a total of £3,750. Voluntary contributions received by the University colleges on account of the association's classes are also subsidized by the Government. GENERAL. Annual Examinations. (See also E.-8. —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 22nd November to the Ist December, 1920, and from the sth to the 18th January, 1921, at fifty-nine centres. As in 1919, at the request of the Public Service Commissioner, the Department conducted an additional special Public Service Entrance Examination in June, 1920. The Public Service Senior Examination of January, 1921, was confined to returned soldier candidates who had previously obtained partial success in the •examination and were desirous of completing their pass. 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:— 1919-20. 1920-21. Number who entered .. .. .. .. ..9,071 9,759 Number who actually sat for examination.. .. .. 7,739 8,020 Number of absentees .. .. .. ... .. 1,332 1,739 The numbers of candidates who actually presented themselves in the exami-nation-room are given below. For the sake of comparison the figures for the previous three years are also given. 1917-18. 1918-19. 1919-20. 1920-21. Junior National Scholarships and junior free places .. 3,122 1,917 2,170 2.298 Public Service Entrance, Senior National Scholarships, and Intermediate .. .. .. .. ..3,315 2,422 3,063 2,999 Teachers D and C .. .. .. .. .. 2,102 1,912 2,234. 2,365 Public Service Senior .. .. .. 226 78 50 78 Typists' Examination .. .. .. .. 60 46 Kindergarten Certificate Examination .. .. .. 4 5 9 1 Special Public Service Entrance Examination in June .. .. 133 189 204 Special Public Service Entrance Examination for returned soldiers .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 73 London University Examinations .. .. .. 1 2 4 2 8,830 6,515 7,719 8,020