E.—l

90

REPORT ON NORMAL SCHOOL. Normal School, Christchurch, 19th March, 1902. The students' department began the year with twenty-one new students, of whom seventeen were females and four males. Fourteen students were retained for a second year, of whom eight were females and six males. After a few weeks one female student withdrew, intending to complete her year in 1902, and one male student withdrew and left the profession. Two other second-year students were then admitted in place of these. Later on in the year a student from South Canterbury was admitted, and another of the previous year's students was taken on also. Another of the male students was allowed to withdraw to take up a temporary appointment as assistant master under very special circumstances, and another female student gave up the profession. There were thus thirty-nine students in attendance at some time or other during the year. One of the new students had already obtained the full D certificate, and four others had obtained partial D by matriculation. At the end of the year fifteen sat for Matriculation, of whom eleven passed; and twenty-six sat for the departmental examination in classes D and E, of whom twenty-five passed wholly or in part. The female second-year students took up work in music, cookery, and subjects at the School of Art, with a view to making themselves more proficient in manual training. During the early part of the year the male second-year students took up work in preparation for entering on a course at Canterbury College, and all attended lectures in some subjects at that institution, and one of them passed the Canterbury College examination for first year and also the examination for the C certificate. The male students of both years attended the Saturday classes in military drill, and the amount of time given by the female students to receiving instruction from Mrs. Bullock in manual training was largely increased. Edward Watkins, 8.A., Principal.

REPORT ON AKAROA DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL.

SOUTH CANTEEBUEY. Sib,— Timaru, 24th March, 1902. I have the honour to present the report of the Education Board of the District of South Canterbury for the year ending the 31st December, 1901. The Boakd. —At the beginning of the year the Board consisted of the following members : TheEev. George Barclay, J. P., Lieut.-Colbnel W. M. Moore, J. P., Messrs. John Talbot, J. P., John Jackson, J. P., P. Keddie, J. P., D. N. Inwood, J. P., T. C. Farnie, M.A., G. J. Hamilton, and W. B. Howell, J. P. (Chairman). Messrs. Barclay, Jackson, and Hamilton retired in August in accordance with section 15 of " The Education Act, 1877 " ; and the members of the School Committees re-elected Messrs. Barclay and Jackson, and returned Mr. S. Gillingham in place of Mr. Hamilton, who was absent on a visit to England. During the year there were three extraordinary vacancies, caused by the resignations of Lieut.-Colonel Moore and Messrs. Inwood and Keddie, and Messrs. W. S. Maslin, J. P., D. McCaskill, and John Campbell were elected in their stead. The Board held twelve ordinary and five special meetings during the year, the average attendance of members being six. The Schools.—At the beginning of the year there were sixty-eight schools in operation in the district. During the year new schools were opened at Lyalldale and Waihao Downs, and arrangements were made for opening new schools at Waihaorunga and Waikakahi early in January, 1902, so that now there are seventy-two schools in operation in the district. District High Schools. —Thanks to the grants from the Government under their new regulations, the Board was enabled to throw open the secondary departments of the district high

(Number of schola: •s on roll: —Passed total 1: t Standard VI.—M. 9, F. 9, tota! itals— M. 9, F. 10, total 19.) ; ot: >ers —Jj '• 1, Number of Pupils in Claps during Last Quarter of Year. % Subject taught. Work done during the Year. Class. .rithmetic Inglish iatin ... 'rench I. II. III. I. II. 19 19 13 4 1 14 3 Commercial rules. Julius Csesar, Acts I. and II.; Deeds that won the Empire. Via Latina, to exercise 32. Via Latina, to exercise 78. Via Latina, to end; and Csesar, Book I., to end. Chardenal's First French Course, to exercise 110. Chardenal's First French Course, to exercise 192; and Macmillan's First French Reader, to page 21. To proposition 26, with easy deductions. Books I. and II. To simple equations. As for Matriculation. luclid ... I. II. I. II. 17 2 15 3 .lgebra