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E.—B

No. 2. The Director op Education to the Hon. the Minister of Education. Sir, — Education Department, Wellington, 26th May, 1916. 1 have the honour to present the following report of the annual examinations conducted by the Department for the various purposes of Junior and Senior National Scholarships, of junior and senior free places in secondary schools, district high schools, and technical schools, and for teachers' certificates; also of the examinations associated therewith and conducted by arrangement with the Public Service Commissioner for admission to and promotion in the Public Service. These examinations fall into three main groups : — (i.) An examination in November or December to determine the grant of Junior Scholarships and junior free places ; (ii.) A main November series for Public Service Entrance, Senior National Scholarship, and senior free place purposes ; and (iii.) A January series (a) for teachers' certificates of Classes D and C, and incidentally to some extent of Class B, (b) for Public Service Senior qualifications, and (c) an examination to test the fitness of typists in the Public Service for promotion from the second to the first grade. The examinations were held between the 23rd November and Ist December, 1915 (Public Service Entrance and Intermediate Examinations), on the 2nd and 3rd December, 1915 (Junior National Scholarships and junior free places), and between the sth and 19th January, 1916 (Teachers' Certificate, Typists' Examination, and Public Service Senior), at the thirteen towns which are the seats of Education Boards, and at Alexandra, Aratapu, Ashburton, Balclutha, Carterton, Chatham Islands, Colliugwood, Dannevirke, Eketahuna, Feilding, Gisborne, Gore, Hamilton, Hastings, Hawera, Kohukohu, Lawrence, Levin, Marton, Masterton, Oamaru, Pahiatua, Palmerston North, Petone, Pukekohe, Rangiora, Reefton, Rotorua, St. Dominic's Priory (Dunedin), Stratford, Taihape, Takaka, Taumarunui, Tauranga, Te Kuiti, Thames, Waihi, Waimate, Waipawa, Wairoa, Wanganui Convent, Warkworth, Westport, Whakatane, and Whangarei, There were four centres in Auckland City and two in Christchurch. The following are the numbers of candidates who entered for the various examinations mentioned above as compared with the numbers of the preceding year : — Number who entered, 1915-16 ... ... ... ... ... 10,978 1914-15 ... ... ... ... ... 10,126 Increase of candidates entered in 1915-16 ... ... 852 Number actually present at examination, 1915-16 ... ... ... 9,453 1914-15 ... 8,727 Increase of candidates present in 1915-16 ... ... ... 726 Number who did not present themselves, 1915-16 ... ... .. 1,525 1914-15 ... 1,399 This difference of 1,525 between those who entered for examination and those who actually sat is accounted for partly on the usual grounds, and partly by the operation of a clause in the Regulations for Senior Free Places, introduced in 1908, under which a number of candidates reoommended on an accrediting principle therein embodied were exempt from examination, and accordingly did not present themselves. A provision on a somewhat similar principle embodied in 1911 in the Regulations for Training Colleges also accounts for a certain proportion of the number. in the several examinations the following were the numbers present : — Junior National Scholarship and Junior Free Place Examinations ... 3,973 Public Service Entrance and allied examinations ... ... ... 3,022 Public Service Senior Examination ... ... ... ... 675 Teachers' Certificate Examinations ... ... ... ... 1,720 Typists' Examination ... ... ... ... ... ... 51 Other examinations ... ... ... ... ... ... 12 The following table gives a comparative statement of the number of candidates examined under the principal groupings during the past six years : — 1910-11. 1911-12. 1912-13. 1913-14. 1914-15. 1915-16. Junior National and Education Board Scholarships and junior free places 2,383 2,564 2,934 3,154 3,562 3,973 Public Service Entrance, Senior National Scholarships, and Intermediate 2,375 2,563 2,770 2,756 2,739 3,022 Teachers'D and C 1,534 1,626 1,753 1,524 1,576 1,720 Public Service Senior 390 518 574 871 804 675 Typists' Examination ... ... ... ... 46 51 Other examinations ... ... ■■■ ••• •• 12 Totals ... ... 6,682 7,271 8,031 8,305 8,727 9,453 2—E. 8.