E.—l.

Of the 31,053 children in attendance in 1931 at -public schools providing secondary education, 30,642 held free places and 411 were paying pupils. Ninety-nine per cent, of the children were thus receiving free secondary education. This represents an increase of 2 per cent, on the figures for 1930, when 989, out of the 29,801 children in attendance, were paying pupils. The increase in the number of free pupils is due to the fact that in 1931 for the first time the Department, owing to the abnormal conditions obtaining in the industrial world, allowed those pupils who failed to secure Senior Free Places either by recommendation or examination to return to school without payment. 19. SPECIAL CLASSES FOR BACKWARD CHILDREN. Although no new special classes were opened during the year, there was a considerable increase in the enrolment when compared with that of the previous year. The enrolment on the Ist July, 1930, was 484, and on the Ist July, 1931, it was 545, an increase of 61. This merely means that the work of the specialist staff in selecting children for admission to these classes is now bearing fruit. 20. JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS AND DEPARTMENTS. There are now ten of these schools and departments in operation, an additional separate junior high school having been opened at Otahuhu, at the beginning of the year. They are of three different types. Two (those at Kowhai and Otahuhu) are separate schools offering instruction in Forms I, 11, and 111, two (those at Matamata and Northcote) are intermediate departments offering instruction in Forms I and 11, and attached on the one side to a primary school and on the other to the secondary department of a district high school, while the remaining six (the junior high schools at Whangarei, Rotorua, Rongotai, Blenheim, and the boys' and girls' junior high schools at Oamaru) are intermediate departments offering instruction in Forms I and 11, and attached to a secondary school. The first junior high school (Kowhai) was opened at Auckland in 1922. In 1928 there were nine of these schools or departments with, on Ist July, a roll number in Forms I and II of all schools and Form 111 of the separate schools of 2,395, as against the present roll number of 2,792, so that the development (mainly owing to financial considerations) has not been rapid. The junior high school established at Waihi will be operating in 1932. 21. POST-PRIMARY EDUCATION. At the end of 1931 post-primary education, apart from that in those Native post-primary schools which are not registered private secondary schools, was being offered in forty-two secondary schools, two combined schools, twenty-two technical schools, two separate junior high schools, eighty-two district high schools, and fiftyone endowed schools and registered private secondary schools, a total of 201, as compared with 200 at the end of 1930. A new separate junior high school was established at Otahuhu, and the number of district high schools has increased by one as the result of the establishment of a secondary department at Northcote. The decrease of two in the number of secondary schools and of one in the number of technical schools is apparent only, their place being taken by the two combined schools. The disastrous earthquake in the Hawke's Bay District completely destroyed the Napier Technical School (with the unfortunate loss of several lives), and the large assembly-liall at the Boys' High School, did irreparable damage to the Girls' High School btdlding (in course of erection at the time) and the nearly completed new technical-school buildings, and severely' damaged the old Girls' High School and the Boys' High School. The reorganization of post-primary education in Napier was thus rendered not only desirable but extremely necessary. Steps were accordingly taken to establish combined or amalgamated schools which would provide instruction in all the courses and subjects hitherto taught

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