39

E.—l

In the above table (in the case of the secondary schools and district high schools) the roll at the end of the year has been taken; a fairer estimate of the number of persons receiving free secondary education in public institutions would be obtained by taking the average roll throughout the year and including in the total the holders of foundation and private scholarships or exhibitions who received free tuition not paid for by Government. We obtain thus the following approximate figures : — Number receiving Free Secondary Education in 1909. Secondary schools ... ... ... ... ... ... 3,615 District high schools ... ... ... ... ... ... 2,163 Technical day-schools ... ... ... ... ... ... 846 Maori secondary schools ... ... ... ... ... ... 124 Total ... ... ... ... ... 6,748 The corresponding number for 1908 may be estimated as 6,244, showing an increase for the year 1909 of about 500 in the number in the Dominion who are receiving free secondary education. The following paragraph from last year's report is inserted here, with the necessary modifications, in explanation of the conditions upon which Junior and Senior Free Places are obtained :— " Under the regulations for free places in secondary schools and district high schools boys and girls who qualify for Junior Scholarships, whether they obtain scholarships or not, or pass a special examination for free places, or who obtain certificates of proficiency at the completion of their primary course, become eligible generally for a Junior Free Place, which gives the privilege of two years' free tuition, with a possible extension to a third year without further examination. " At the end of the period a Senior Free Place is obtainable to the age of nineteen by all who succeed in passing the Civil Service Junior Examination, either in its competitive form or, as slightly modified for the purpose in question, in the form of a qualifying examination only. The Matriculation Examination of the University may also be used for this purpose, and those qualifying for Senior Board Scholarships, whether by means of the Department's examination or not, are also eligible. As, however, various reasons exist in the interests both of the pupil and of the school fur dispensing with an external examination whenever this can be done with convenience and safety, the new regulations, gazetted 2nd April, 1908, encourage the use, as a qualification for Senior Free Places, of a slightly modified form of the ' accrediting' system, which has' for some time been growing in favour with educational authorities elsewhere, and which forms commonly a characteristic feature of Continental and American schools. Hereafter, on the joint recommendation of the principal of the school attended (or, in the case of district high schools, of an Inspector of the district) and of the Inspector-General of Schools, it will be possible for a free pupil who has gone through a satisfactory course of work of sufficient scope to secure, without the restrictions of an intermediate public examination, free secondary education throughout the whole course of his attendance at a secondary school up to the age of nineteen years." The last-named method of gaining a Senior Free Place is gradually coining into favour: 351 were granted Senior Free Places in this way in December, 1909. Scholarships held, at Secondary Schools and District High Schools. The scholarships at secondary schools and district high schools are of four kinds, — (i.) Junior National Scholarships ; (ii.) Education Board Scholarships ; (iii.) Foundation or Governor's Scholarships, given by the governing bodies of secondary schools ; (iv.) Private scholarships, endowed by private donors,