65

E.—l

Annual Examinations. (See"also E.-8.) The annual examinations were conducted by the Department as usual for the various purposes of Junior National Scholarships, Junior Free Places in secondary schools, district high schools, and technical schools, Senior Free Places in secondary schools and district high schools, for admission to or promotion in the Civil Service, and for teachers' certificates. The examinations were held from the 21st to 29th November, and on the 30th November and Ist December, 1911, and from the sth to 20th January, 1912, at fifty-seven centres. The number of candidates examined in these two sets of examinations shows a considerable increase over the numbers of previous years. It will be noticed from the table given below that the increase has been general in all of the examinations. 1909-10. 1910-11. 1911-12. Junior National and Education Board Scholarships and Junior Free Places .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,214 2,383 2,564 Civil Service Junior, Senior Free Places, Education Board Senior Scholarships, First Pupil-teachers .. .. .. ..2,369 2,375 2,563 Teachers D and C .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,482 1,534 1,626 Civil Service Senior .. .. .. .. .. 443 390 518 Totals .. .. .. .. .. 6,508 6,682 7,271 The following table shows collectively, in comparison with the preceding year, the number who entered for the various examinations enumerated, the number present, and the number of absentees. In explanation of the number set down under the last of these heads it is to be noted that the relatively large proportion is to be accounted for partly on the usual grounds, but chiefly in the case of Senior Free Place candidates through the application of a principle recently put in operation by which awards of Senior Free Places are made with the concurrence of the Inspector-General on the recommendation of the principal of the secondary school attended or for district high schools of an Inspector of Schools. Number who entered, 1911-12 .. .'. .. .. .. 8,230 Number who entered, 1910-11 .. .. .. .. .. 7,553 Number actually present at examination, 1911-12 . . .. .. 7,271 Number actually present at examination, 1910-11 .. .. .. 6,682 Number who did not present themselves, 1911-12 .. .. .. 959 Number who did not present themselves, 1910-11 . . .. .. 871 The Department's examination for Junior National Scholarships is now used by all the Education Boards of the Dominion for the award of their Junior Scholarships, superseding thus without exception any examination locally conducted in earlier years for this purpose. For the award of their Senior Scholarships the Boards have, so far, commonly, but not exclusively, used the Civil Service Junior Examination. In the coming year any exception in this respect will be removed. Apart from this extension of its functions, the Civil Service Junior Examination is employed for a variety of purposes. Either in its proper competitive form or as the,. Intermediate Examination, with certain modifications in selected subjects to meet the needs of a non-competitive qualification, it thus serves not only as an entrance examination for the Civil Service of the Dominion, but as a scholarship examination, an examination for the Senior Free Place qualification in secondary schools and district high schools, an examination for pupil-teachers of the second or third year, and a qualifying examination for the probationer appointments instituted under the provisions of the Education Amendment Act, 1908. The cost of conducting both groups of examinations was as follows :— Total expenses, including cost of additional clerical services tern- £ s. d. porarily employed, but excluding cost of printing .. .. 5,904 4 8 Less recoveries—fees paid by candidates . . .. . . 4,048 15 6 Net cost of examinations .. .. .. .. £1,855 9 2

9—E. 1.