E.—l

XII

tion was at that time more leniently conducted than it is at present. The proportion of passes in the higher standards steadily increases. Eor the Sixth Standard the proportions in four successive years, including the year now under review, have been 6, 8, 10, and 13 m a thousand. For the Fifth Standard the numbers have been 15, 22, 23, and 27 in a thousand; and for the Fourth Standard 35, 45, 46, and 49 The fact that only one-half of the children were presented for examination in standards may be partly accounted for by reference to Table B, which affords reason for believing that about 40 per cent, of them are below B*7 years, the average age of passing the First Standard in 1883. It is also to be borne m mind that there are always some backward children not ready to be presented, and that some that are well prepared are kept away from the examination by illness and other causes that may be regarded as accidental. There does not, however, appear to be any good reason for not expecting a reduction in the average age of passing the First Standard. The number of children under seven years of age amounts to 22-2 per cent, of the whole number attending, and even if theiraverage age is put down at several months over six years it seems that the schools take two years at least to prepare a child for the First Standard. Is it unfair to assume that this is an indication of some neglect with regard to the instruction of. the youngest pupils ? The average age of passing each standard in each district is skown in the following table : —

TABLE K. —Average Age of Pupils at Standard Examinations.

Table L is a summary of the numbers on the rolls of classes preparing for the several standards at the end of the year Further details under this head are given in Table 5, in the Appendix (p. 5): —

TABLE L.—Classification according to Standards in the Last Quarter of 1883.

Education Dibteicts. .verago Ages (in Yoars) for Standan jan of A{ ;ca. Auckland Taranakl Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay frlarlborough Nelson North Canterbury South Canterbury WesHand Otago SotithlRiad I. 9-2 8-1 8-6 9-1 8-0 8-5 9-6 8-2 8-4 9-8 II. 10-0 9-1 9-3 10-2 9-1 9'5 10-0 9-5 9-9 10-2 III. 12-0 11-2 11-8 11-2 10-8 10-4 11-7 11-0 11-2 11-5 IV 12-8 12-0 12-2 12-4 12-1 12-3 12-6 11-6 12-1 12-6 V. 14-0 12-7 13-2 13-2 13-1 13-3 13-6 12-6 12-7 13-3 VI. 15-0 13-5 14-5 14-2 14'4 14-1 14-2 13-0 13-3 14-1 1883. 12-2 11-1 11-6 11-7 11-2 11-3 11-9 11-0 11-3 11-5 1882. 12-4 11-5 11-4 11-6 11-2 11-3 11-9 11-2 11-0 11-9 1861 11-4 11-6 11-8 11-4 11-1 11-8 11-2 12-0 11-7 Mean o£ the ten returns Bange (difference between highest and lowest) 8-7 1-6 9-7 1-1 11-2 I-β 12-3 1-2 13-2 1-4 14-0 2-0 U-β 1-2 11-5 1-4 1882— Mean of the ton returns Bango (difference between highest and lowest) . 8-6 9-9 11-0 12-3 13-3 14-2 11-5 1-0 1-4 1-8 1-6 1-5 1-5 1-4

Standards. Boys. Girls. Totals. Percentage, ?oo young foe line next following . 'repairing for Standard I. II. . III. „ IV . V „ VI. 'assed Standard VI. 13,540 9,208 7,631 7 467 5,128 2,929 1,305 498 12,003 8,458 7,358 7 138 4,995 2,919 1,382 519 25,513 17 686 14,989 14,605 10,121 5,848 2,687 1,017 1883. 27-62 19-10 16-21 15-80 10-94 6-32 2-91 1-10 1882. 27-32 19-15 16-12 15-95 11-72 6-21 2-64 0-89 1881. 25-45 20-32 16-83 17-14 11-44 5-73 2-38 0-71 Totals for 1883 Totals for 1882 Totals for 1881 47 704 45,082 /.; 4: i. 4-4,772 42,097 10,103 L 92,476 87,179 83,587 100-00 100-00 100-00