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E.—l

The usual increase in the proportion of female teachers has not been maintained during the year, the additions to the number of teachers being 63 males, of whom 37 are pupil-teachers, and 53 females, of whom 28 arc pupil-teachers. Of the whole number employed in the schools at the end of the year there were 1,019 male teachers, and 1,068 of the other sex. The decrease in the number of headmistresses appears to be due in great measure to some uncertainty as to the persons entitled to be so designated. Many of the assistant teachers are uncertificated, but there are now more certificated teachers than there are senior places in all the schools. The number of such places, as shown in Table F, was 1,030 in December. The number of persons holding certificates at the present time (June 3) is 1,096, and, besides these, 96 have the " license to teach," and the "district license" has been granted to 33. There are also 147 persons who have passed in most of the subjects of examination, and who will receive certificates on passing in the subjects in which they were weakest; and there are about 120 cases in which, satisfactory attainments having been proved, candidates have either been advised of the rank proposed to be assigned to them, but have not yet accepted it, or have been promised certificates on completing two years' service, or on obtaining Inspector's marks. Of the teachers that were employed by the Boards at the end of 1881, 32 head-teachers, 236 teachers in sole charge of schools, and 213 assistant teachers, are uncertificated; but some of these have partly qualified (as described in the last preceding sentence), their numbers being as follows: —7 head-teachers, 24 in sole charge, and 39 assistants. • • • Income and Expenditure op Education Boards. The amount expended by the Boards on school-buildings (including sites, teachers' houses, and school furniture) is of necessity almost wholly limited to the amount voted by Parliament in each year for this purpose. Apart from this, their ordinary expenditure on the maintenance of schools depends almost exclusively on the statutory capitation allowance of £3 155., according to average attendance. Their receipts for scholarships and training of teachers are applicable only to the purposes for which they are granted, and the grants for inspection are made by way of subsidy. Seeing that during the year the Boards have opened 33 new schools, and appointed 116 teachers in addition to those previously engaged, and that the attendance, on which their income depends, was at the end of the year greater by only 337 than it was twelve months before, it is evident that they must have suffered some embarrassment. The difficulty of their position was, moreover, enhanced by a permanent deduction of about 11^ per cent, from their ordinary income, which took effect in August of the preceding year, when the parliamentary capitation grant of 10s. per annum for the incidental expenses of schools was withdrawn. By this change, and the exclusion of children under the age of five years, the parliamentary vote is reduced by probably not less than £40,000 a year. It is not possible to ascertain from the accounts furnished by the Boards whether the revenue of the year has enabled them to meet their expenses without losing ground. This could only be ascertained by comparing the assets and liabilities at the end of the year with the assets and liabilities at the beginning of the year, and these are not stated in every case. The accounts show that the balances in the hands of the Boards (deducting overdrafts) on the 31st December amounted to about £5,000 more than on the Ist January, but that during the year they received for building purposes about £6,600 more than they expended, so that on the ordinary account (excluding buildings) their balances are less by about £1,600 at the end of the year than at the beginning; besides which the Auckland Board paid salaries to probationers to the extent of several hundred pounds out of money granted for the training of teachers. The details of the Boards' income and expenditure are given in Tables Nos. 1 and 2 in the Appendix, and again with their annual reports.* Tables G and II contain a summary for the year, and similar summaries for the four previous years, so as to show at a glance the accounts for the period of five years during which the schools have been maintained by grants from colonial revenue.

* Appendix, pages 57-87.

VIIi

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