E.—2.

[Appendix B.

OTAGO. Sir— Dunedin, 31st March, 1923. In accordance with the requirements of the Education Act, 1914,1 have the honour to present the following report of the Education Board of the District of Otago for the year .1922 : — Board. —The constitution of the Board is now as follows: Urban Area —Messrs. James Wallace, J. H. Wilkinson, R. H. S. Todd, and Leonard Sanderson ; North Ward— Messrs. George Livingstone and A. E. Lawrence ; Central Ward —Messrs. James Smith and James Horn, M.P. ; South Ward— Hon. D. T. Fleming, M.L.C., and Mr. George W. K. Wood. Mr. James Wallace was elected Chairman (his third term in office). Thirty-nine meetings of the Board were held during the year, the average attendance being eight. The following were the Board's representatives on various educational bodies : Council of the University of Otago —Mr. J. Wallace ; Otago High Schools Board — Hon. D. T. Fleming, M.L.C., and Mr. W. R. Brugh ; Waitaki High Schools Board—Mr. James Mitchell ; Boards of Management of Technical Schools —Dunedin, Messrs. J. Wallace, J. H. Wilkinson, and James Horn, M.P. ; Oamaru, Messrs. George Livingstone and James Mitchell; Milton, Mr. John Bowie, B.A. Number of Schools. —The number of schools open at the end of the year (including four household schools) was 259, or five more than in 1921. One hundred and fifty-four schools were sole-teacher schools, forty-eight had two adult teachers, twenty-eight had three adult teachers, and twenty-nine had four or more adult teachers. Attendance of Pupils. —The average roll, average attendance, and percentage of average attendance for the year were as follows : Average roll, 22,022 ; average attendance, 20,271 ; percentage, 92-05. The figures show an increase over the previous year of thirty-one in the roll number, a decrease of four in the average attendance, and a decrease of 0-15 in the percentage of attendance. The following table shows, since the institution of the Otago education scheme in 1856, the number of schools, teachers, and pupils : —

The average attendances in the secondary departments of district high schools were : Balclutha, 08 ; Normal, 52 ; Tokomairiro, 49 ; Alexandra, 44 ; Lawrence, 37 ; Port Chalmers, 29 ; Tapanui, 23; Palmerston, 23; and Owaka, 19: total, 344 —an increase of 33 over the previous year. Owing to decrease, in attendance, the Mosgiel District High School was disestablished at the end of June. Secondary classes were started at the Owaka School at the beginning of the year. Grants have been sanctioned for equipping the cookery and science rooms erected last year at the Alexandra District High School, and it is hoped that instruction in these subjects will shortly be commenced. Teachers. —On the 31st December there were in the Board's service, 812 teachers, classified as under: — Males. Females. Total. Head teachers .. .. .. .. 98 2 100 Sole teachers .. .. .. .. 41 118 159 Assistant teachers . . .. .. .. 68 273 341 Organizing teacher .. . . .. .. 1 .. 1 Training College staff . . .. .. .. 6 2 8 Total of adult teachers .. .. .. 214 395 609 Pupil-teachers .. .. .. .. 17 45 62 Probationers .. ... . . .. 23 72 95 Teachers of needlework .. .. .. .... 32 32 Manual and technical (special teachers) .. 8 6 14 Total of all teachers for 1922 .. ..262 550 812 The following table shows the position, with regard to the number of teachers who held teachers' certificates in 1921 and 1922: -

XIV

Year. Number of Schools. Number of Teachers. <**•**■ i AttnTarfco. I I Percentage of Attendance, Otago District. Percentage of Attendance for Whole of Dominion. 1856-57 1886 1916 1921 1922 5 181 261 254 259 7 510 754 797 812 236 22,255 1.8,583 21,880 20,237 21,991 20,275 22,022 20,271 83-8 92-4 92-2 92-05 79-3 88-6 89-8

Number. Percentage. Classified Teachers. Number. Holders of Licenses. Percentage. Unclassified and Unlicensed. — Total Number. Number. Percentage. 1921 1922 500 520 82-1. 85-4 13 5 2-1 0-8 96 84 15-8 13-8 609 609