1.—13b

1910 NEW ZEALAND

EDUCATION COMMITTEE (REPORT. OF THE) ON THE PETITION OF CHARLES ANDERSON AND OTHERS AND 156 SIMILAR PETITIONS. (Mr. SIDEY Chairman.)

Report brought up on the 22nd November, 1910, together with Departmental Reports, and ordered to be printed.

ORDER OF REFERENCE. Jixtrati from the Journals of the House of Representatives. Thursday the 7th Day of July, 1910. Ordered, " That a Committee be appointed, consisting of ten members, to consider all matters relating to .schoolteachers, education, and public instruction generally, public-school training of teachers, higher education, technical education, and manual instruction, and such other matters affecting education as may be referred to it • to have power to call for persons and papers ; three to be a quorum : the Committee to consist of Mr. Allen Mr Hanan Mr Hardy Mr. Luke, Mr. Poole, Mr. Sidoy, Mr. Stallworthy, Mr. G. M. Thomson, Mr. J. C. Thomson,-and the mover. , ' , —(Hon! Mr. FowLDS.)

E EPOET.

No. 518.—Petition of Charles Anderson and Others and 156 similar Petitions (as per Schedule attached). Petitioners pray for an amendment in the regulations for rural schools. The Education Committee, having carefully considered the said petitions, has the honour to submit the following report:— 1. Quality of Instruction. There was not sufficient evidence before the Committee to enable it to say whether the quality of instruction in the rural schools has improved or otherwise within the past few years. 2. Supply of Teachers. The Committee finds that there has been, during recent years, a very large increase in the number of small schools in the Dominion. Thus, — (a.) The largest increase has taken place in the very small schools. In December, 1899, the total number of schools with an average attendance not exceeding fourteen was 251, while in December, 1909, the total number of schools with an average attendance exceeding fifteen (which is the nearest number available for the purposes of comparison) was 569, and the Committee is assured that the number now exceeds 600 or, reckoning two half-time schools as one school, the number of such schools in December, 1900, was 266, and in December, 1909, the number was 500. (b.) The next large increase in the number of schools has taken place in the sole-teacher schools other than those mentioned in the preceding paragraph.