E—2

The New Zealand Trades Certification Board has had regular meetings during the year and has made much progress in co-ordinating its work with that of some existing Boards and in preparing examination prescriptions for other trades. The examinations for motor mechanics were conducted jointly with the Motor Trade Certification Board, the arrangements being made through the Department. The decentralization of the post-primary inspectorate was carried a stage further during the year, and as from the beginning of 1950 the South Island group of Inspectors has its headquarters in Christchurch, and its members are domiciled there. Schools and School Rolls During the year, Morrinsville District High School was disestablished and Morrinsville College took its place. New district high schools were established at Coromandel and Kawhia and a new Maori district high school at Tokomaru Bay. There was one addition, the Seventh Day Adventist School, Auckland, to the list of registered schools. The following table gives the numbers enrolled on Ist March for the past five years in the various types of schools. The numbers of schools in each year are shown in parentheses :

Rolls of Post-primary Schools, 1st March

The figures for Morrinsville College are included in the district high school numbers as the change did not take place till late in the year. Educational Developments The influence of the University on the curriculum of post-primary schools has always been considerable, and eventually became oppressive. The development of the School Certificate Examination, the introduction of accrediting, and the elimination of compulsory subjects for University Entrance have been powerful agents in freeing the schools from domination of their curricula by University requirements. The influence of the. University is, however, still felt strongly, and changes in University regulations have to be closely considered by the schools. For the year 1950 the University Entrance Statute will be changed. Hitherto the student, if he has not been accredited, has been required to sit in three subjects at the University Entrance level, and two others at the School Certificate level. From 1950 he will be required to take four subjects at the University Entrance level. It is already quite clear that accrediting does not free the schools from the need to prepare students for the examination. That duty will be a more exacting one now that four subjects are required. It is not a duty that will weigh heavily on the larger post-primary schools ; but it is a very difficult one for the smaller district high schools to carry out. It was our intention to meet that situation by granting secondary school bursaries to district high school students who have passed School Certificate and

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— 1945. 1946. 1947. 1948. 1949. Secondary schools 20,042 (39) 20,255 (40) 20,242 (40) 19,972 (40) 20,607 (40) Technical schools 14,295 (23) 14,943 (25) 15,862 (28) 15,096 (28) 15,487 (28) Combined schools 3,843 (7) 3,839 (7) 3,869(7) 3,828 (7) 3,933 (7) Secondary departments of 8,708(104) 8,375 (103) 8,329 (107) 8,642 (108) 9,110 (111) district high schools Registered private post9,146 (75) 9,623 (80) 10,163 (82) 9,977 (83) 10,452 (84) primary schools (including two endowed schools) Totals 56,034 57,035 58,465 57,515 59,589