E.—s

8

Courses.—Under the general heading of " Domestic subjects " are included courses in cookery, laundry-work, and housewifery for primary-school children taken at manual-training centres, as well as courses for these subjects, plus dressmaking, millinery, needlework, hygiene, first aid, home nursing, and science applied to the home (generally termed " home science "), taken at technical schools and technical high schools. In addition, there are evening classes in these subjects ; and special classes in invalid cookery are held for hospital probationers. Primary.—ln the manual-training centres the aim has been to make the courses more sensible and practical—to teach the children by practice rather than by " lessons " how to choose and cook wisely and well the foods required for normal nutrition, following, where possible, the. dietary principles laid down by the Health Department. The introduction of recipe-books has been encouraged. The mistresses of the Auckland District prepared a collection of recipes, which, by the courtesy and kindness of the local gas company, will be printed and issued free of charge to the pupils. The mistresses of the Christchurch manual-training centres have revised a recipe-book published locally, and this will, it is hoped, be increasingly used. Needlework up to Standard VI is now entirely confined to the teaching given by members of the primary-school staffs, and there are no specialist teachers taking classes in Standards Y and VI. There is, however, one specialist Supervisor of Needlework employed in advising teachers in primary schools. She did excellent work in 1925-26 in the district about Christchurch, and has latterly been engaged in similar work in the Hawke's Bay District. The technical schools and technical high schools offer special courses in domestic subjects, as 'well as giving instruction in domestic subjects to girls taking other courses. The number of girls taking the special course in domestic subjects has not increased as rapidly as the numbers taking, for example, the commercial course. During the period under review the secondary schools have been increasing their equipment and offering courses with a larger proportion of domestic work than was formerly the case, and this has probably somewhat affected the numbers taking up the course at the technical schools in towns where both kinds of secondary institutions exist. Domestic Subjects Courses :—

It is probable, too, that economic pressure accounts in some measure for the relatively small rate of increase in the numbers enrolling in the domestic-subjects course, because it is less strictly vocational than the commercial course, and, in addition, the chief openings for domestic-subjects students are in the clothing trades, which are strongly affected by present conditions. The extent of the courses offered varies very much from school to school; and, again, the time devoted to the different subjects is very variable. The practical work is better developed in the larger towns, where there is more opening in trades and where a more specialized staff is possible. In the smaller places the course often comprises a wider range of subjects, and frequently differs but little from the secondary-school courses. A typical curriculum includes English, history, with civics; arithmetic, including book-keeping or household accounts ; science and hygiene ; housecraft", including one or more of the following—cookery, laundry, and housewifery ; needlecraft, including one or more of the following —embroidery, dressmaking, millinery, and needlework ; drawing, including design and such applied arts as stencilling, leather or metal work ; singing ; games and physical exercises. Analyses of some Actual Courses : —

1922. 1923. 1924. 1925. ! 1926. Number of technical high schools (all offering courses in 10 12 13 I 14 14 domestic subjects) Number of students selecting course .. .. .. 611 663 778 744 749

I A. j B. | C. English I .. .. .. .. .. : 4f (1) ' 4 3J English II .. .. .. .. .. 4f : 4 3| : History and civics I . . . . . . If ' 1 2 History and civics II . . .. . . If 1 Arithmetic I .. .. . . . . . . 3 4f 5f Arithmetic II . . . . . . . . .. 3 j 4f 3 Science I .. .. .. .. .. If 2 3J: (3) Science II If 2 6 Housecraft I .. .. .. .. .. 3 5f 5f (3) Housecraft II . . . . . . .. .. 3 3 5J Needlecraft I ! 4f 5f (2) 3 Needlecraft II . . . . . . . . . . 4f 8 5| Drawing I . . . . . . . . 4f 2f § Drawing II . . .. .. . . 4f 2f 2 Games I .. .. .. . . 3f 3f 3 Games II .. . . .. .. .. . 3f | 3f 3 Notes.—The figures denote the number of hours given weekly throughout the first and second years to the various subjects.