E.—l

4

to render it unnecessary to call them junior assistants, and they are therefore here classified as pupil-teachers as before. The proportion of female teachers employed in the public schools is still on the increase ; the addition to their number during the past year having been 127, while only 71 additional teachers of the other sex were engaged. During the three years 1878, 1879, and 1880, the increase was 345 female and 226 male teachers. The relative numbers at the close of 1880 were 956 males and 1,015 females, including 139 male and 433 female pupil-teachers. The increase in the number of male pupil-teachers may be regarded as satisfactory, because it gives promise that eventually the public schools will be to a large extent in charge of skilled and experienced masters, educated and trained in the colony. Experience has proved, however, that a similar expectation need not be entertained as to the permanent retention of the young women who begin their course as public-school teachers, because their services are frequently lost to the schools when they are beginning to prove of the highest value. The number of certificated teachers is increasing. Since the publication of the official list at the end of June, 1880, new certificates to the number of 75 have been issued. The number of certificated teachers is now 1,005, and there are also 71 persons holding the " license to teach," and 10 to whom the " district license " has been granted. School Attendance. A list of the whole of the schools in operation during the past year, with an abstract of the enrolments and the average daily attendance at each, is appended, (Appendix, page 39, Table No. 10). The following is a summary of the attendance returns furnished by the several Boards for the year: —

TABLE C. —School Attendance.

The uniform attendance registers and summaries which the department supplies to all the schools,, the method of calculating the attendance prescribed by the regulations, and the quarterly returns required under them for each school, greatly facilitate the collection of full and reliable information of a uniform character respecting school attendance throughout the entire colony. As the grants made to Boards out of the annual appropriation by the General Assembly

Education Districts. Number of Scholars belonging at beginning of Year. Number N«m^" admitted w, ho .leit during *"?»« the Year. T ™ On School Roll. Number belonging at end of the Year. Strict j .verage. 'erage Daily Attendance. Working Average. -12. i _ _ "8 ■9 '■3_| «^ C M W A Fourth Quarter, Whole Year. Foi irth Quarter. Whole Tear. Females. Total. Males. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay ... Marlborough ... Nelson... North Canterbury South Canterbury Westland Otago ... Southland 12,315 1,176 3,510 5,015 2,383 967 3,416 13,430 3,035 2,676 16,020 4,176 11,374 1,082 2,796 4,215 2,037 712 1,807 10,413 865 1,186 10,196 2,611 8,750 699 1,912 3,148 1,340 467 1,273 7,406 394 719 7,013 1,896 14,939 1,559 4,394 6,082 3,085 1,212 3,950 16,437 3,506 3,143 19,203 4,891 11,508 1,089 3,319 4,585 2,245 841 2,917 11,903 2,539 2,404 15,917 3,679 11,069 1,019 3,178 4,569 2,161 844 2,922 11,228 2,408 2,306 15,411 3,510 6,245 614 1,791 2,564 1,247 468 1,545 6,456 1,381 1,231 8,348 1,990 5,594 533 1,612 2,121 1,087 415 1,463 5,777 1,235 1,216 7,699 1,775 11,839 1,147 3,403 4,685 2,334 883 3,008 12,233 2,616 2,447 16,047 3,765 11,441 1,069 3,258 4,700 2,251 874 3,004 11,558 2,489 2,365 15.594 3,631 62,234 54,724 77-4 720 75-1 760 74-4 74-0 76-8 72-1 72-7 76-8 81-8 76-4 Totals for 1880 ... Totals for 1879 ... 68,124 59,707 49,294 49,792 35,017 33,933 82,401 75,566 62,946 57,301 60,625 53,067 33,880 31,262 2,018 30,527 27,476 3,051 64,407 58,738 766 76-1 Increase in year ... 8,417 7,558 5,669 7,510 40,837 5 -498 1,081 6,835 5,645 Totals for 1877 ... 41,773 55,688 Increase in 3 years 26,713 22,634 21,397 Average yearly increase ... 8,904 7,545 7,132