B.—lβ

38

advantage to us even here, and we should be glad to see it extended to Standard 111. Many people seem to regard this change as freedom of classification for these classes. Freedom of classification means much more than this, and has long been allowed by the regulations of the department. It has not, it is true, been adopted by the teachers, for the reason, we suppose, that it is felt to be impracticable. Freedom of classification means, among other things, that a child may be taught reading in one class, arithmetic in another, grammar in another, and so on. It is an excellent system, for under it no child is kept back in one subject because he is weak in another , but every teachor knows that, even in large strongly-staffed schools, it is very difficult to carry out. Nevertheless, teachers originated and have kept up the cry for this system of classification. Obviously they do not know what they want, or they do not understand the regulations under which they work, for freedom of classification, whether in the sense in which it is understood by well-informed educationists or in the sense that a teacher may promote a child either without examination or after failure at the Inspector's examination, has been for years, and still is, accorded by regulation to every teacher in the land. Here are the terms of the regulation "For purposes of inspection and examination every pupil in the school must be considered to belong to one of the standard classes as here defined, but for the purposes of instruction the principal teacher of a school shall have full discretion to arrange his pupils in different classes for different subjects, according to their ability and proficiency with respect to the several subjects, and according to the number of available teachers, and also to cause the children of two or more standard classes to be gathered into one class for instruction in any subject and, if any pupil, by reason of special ability or proficiency in any subject, receives in such subject the instruction proper to a higher standard class than that to which he is considered to belong, he may in such subject be examined with the higher class in which he has been placed for instruction , and if, being so examined, he satisfies the examiner, his success shall be reckoned towards his ' pass in his proper standard class. Also, at the discretion of a principal teacher, a pupil may be promoted to a higher standard class though he has failed at the examination in the work of the standard for which he was last presented." The cry, therefore, is for what is in actual possession. Other results of the Conference are a few changes in the syllabus, a direction to Inspectors as to what shall, in certain specified subjects, constitute a "pass," and the issue by the department of the annual test questions in arithmetic. In a general way, therefore, we may say that the examinations are now approximately uniform throughout the colony We trust that the uniformity craze may not be carried too far To both teachers and Inspectors a wise discretion should be allowed. We have, &c, W Tatloe, \ P Goyen I Inspectors. The Secretary, Education Board, Otago. W S. Fitzgerald, j

SOUTHLAND Sib,— Education Office, Invercargill, 17th February, 1895. We have the honour to lay before the Board our report for the year ending 31st December, 1894, on the state of primary education in this district. The number of pupils withheld from examination in Standard I. is smaller than it was last year For the non-presentation of those still withheld, the excuses offered were parents' request, brief or irregular attendance, mental or physical unfitness, long distances or bad roads. Jn nearly every case the excuse was reasonable and well founded. The examination determining the fitness of pupils for promotion to Standards I. and 11. respectively is now conducted by the teachers , and, we rejoice to say, the majority of the promotions was entirely judicious. On the other hand, whether through yielding to external pressure or through simply failing to recognise their responsibility in the matter a number of teachers gave promotions fraught, we fear, with subsequent vexation to individuals and confusion to classes. A report dealing with educational matters ought, it may be presumed, to depict the actual condition of affairs and have more or less dimly in the background an outline of what might be or what ought to be. Keeping this in mind we proceed to pass in review the three main factors that have to be reckoned with in the work of education—namely, the educators, education, and the educated. The Educators. —The professional status of our teachers is shown by the following table, the letters denoting the various stages of literary attainments and the figures the various degrees of practical skill: —

Class. Division. Total in each Glass, 3 1 2 2 15 23 4 1 2 14 26 _5_ 1 4 1 rj t 7 53 82 1 12 9 4 2 11 20 Total in each division 22 37 43 43 150