E.—l

40

(i.) Junior National Scholarships. —These scholarships are allotted to the several education districts practically on the basis of population, as in each district there is offered annually one scholarship for each 4,000 or part of 4,000 children in average yearly attendance. The scholarships are awarded by the Education Boards on the results of an examination conducted by the Education Department, and the Boards exercise a certain control over the holders, and pay over to them from time to time the amounts falling due. With the Junior National Scholarships are now incorporated the Junior Queen's Scholarships, which were established by the Victoria College Act, 1897, to enable pupils of public schools in the Victoria College University District to attend a secondary school as a stepping-stone to a course at Victoria College. Twenty Junior Queen's Scholarships, of a total annual value of £437, were held during 1909, but the last of them will come to an end in 1910. The number and value of the Junior National Scholarships current in December, 1909, in the several eduoation districts are shown in Table LI of E.-6; the list may be summarized for the whole Dominion as follows :— Number of scholarships,— 80y5... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 71 Girls... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 37 Total ... ... ... ... ... 108 Number receiving boarding-allowance (included in the above total) ... 54 Number receiving travelling-allowance (similarly included) .. ... 1 Number held at secondary schools ... ... ... .... ... 95 Number held at district high schools ... ... ... ... ... 13 Total annual rate of payment as in December, 1909 ... £2,748 (ii.) Education Board Scholarships. —The scholarship funds of the Boards are provided by grants which, although not statutory, are of old standing, and amount to Is. 6d. per head of the average attendance. The conditions of the scholarships are determined by regulations approved in the case of each Board by the Minister of Education. For the award of the Junior Scholarships all the Boards now use the Junior National Scholarship Examination, and for their Senior Scholarships nearly all use the Civil Service Junior Examination ; but the awards themselves and the subsequent control of the holders are entirely in the hands of the Boards. The number and value of the Board scholarships in the various districts are shown in Table L 2 of E.-6, the totals of which are for the whole of New Zealand : — Number of scholarships, — Boys ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 326 Girls ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 207 Total ... ... ... ... ... 533 Total expenditure of Boards on scholarships in 1909 ... ... £8,694 The most common period of tenure is two years, but in one district the scholarships are tenable for three years, and in three districts scholarships may be in deserving cases extended for a third year if the funds of the Board admit. By the terms of the Act every Education Board scholarship is tenable at a secondary school, or its equivalent, approved by the Board. With very few exceptions Education Board scholars hold secondary free places. In last year's report it was remarked that " the value of the scholarships varies considerably, apparently according to the view taken by each Board, as the circumstances of the different districts hardly seem to explain the great variation." The variation still exists. Taking the whole of the districts we find that there are:—