15

E.—l

The number of adult teachers may be further summarized thus :— Heads of schools — 1910. 1911. Men .. .. .. .. .. ..712 728 Women .. .. .. .. .. .. 72 85 784 813 Sole teachers — Men .. .. .. .. .. ..445 452 Women .. .. .. .. .. .. 793 814 1,238 1,266 Assistant teachers — —-—— Men .. .. .. .. .. ..299 313 Women .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,387 1,452 1,686 1,765 Of the sole teachers, 102 men and 370 women, total 472, were employed in schools of less than 16 in average attendance ; the average number of children per teacher being 10-05. The average number of children per teacher in the remaining sole-teacher schools —that is, schools with 16 to 35 in average attendance—was 23-77. It will be seen on referring to the remarks in this report under the head, " Number of Schools " (page 4), that there were 1,336 sole-teacher schools. The difference (70) between this number and the number of sole teachers shown above is accounted for by the fact that 116 half-time schools (in charge of 58 sole teachers) and 12 side schools have been counted separately as sole-teacher schools. In schools with two or more teachers —that is, schools of Grade IV and upwards —we find that the average number of pupils per adult teacher, reckoning two pupilteachers as equivalent to one adult, was 40*22. With the same assumption we find that the average for all schools was 33*62, and for all schools, omitting those below Grade 11, 36-61. The following figures show the ratio of males to females, adult teachers and pupil teachers being considered separately. For purposes of comparison the figures for the previous years are also given : — 1909. 1910. 1911. Male. Female. Male. Female. Male. Female. Ratio of adult male to adult female teachers, schools with one to fifteen scholars .. .. .. .. 100 : 359 100 : 325 100 : 362 Ratio of adult male to adult female teachers, schools with more than fifteen scholars .. .. .. .. 100 : 140 100 : 141 100 : 142 Ratio of adult male to adult female teachers, all schools .. .. .. 100 : 157 100 : 155 100 : 157 Ratio of male pupil-teachers to female pupil-teachers .. .. .. 100 : 319 100 : 302 100 : 295 Ratio of male to female teachers, all schools 100:174 100:170 100:172 From the above table it will be seen that the proportion of males to females is by no means small, except in the cases of pupil-teachers and sole teachers of small schools. The figures in regard to pupil-teachers show conclusively that a much larger percentage of females enter the service than males ; but a great number of these female pupil-teachers leave before completing their period of training. In regard to the large proportion of female teachers to males in Grade 0 and Grade I schools, the maximum salary payable to teachers of such schools is £120, and Education Boards have always found extreme difficulty in procuring suitable male teachers to fill such positions. Indeed, many educationists hold the view that women teachers are more suited to take charge of small schools than are men; for in such schools one-half of the pupils on the average are girls, and, of the boys, half are under ten years of age, and both these groups are consequently more easily and sympathetically managed by a woman teacher; thus 75 per cent, of the average number in attendance at a sole-teacher school are more suited to instruction by a woman teacher than by a male.