E.—l

16

in respect of manual instruction amounted to £57,560, and the total payments to £63,094. The manual instruction accounts of all Boards were, in credit (when assets and liabilities were included) ait the end of the year, a, transfer from the General Fund to meet the expenditure being necessary in two cases. The following table gives some particulars of the payments by Education Boards in respect of certain branches of manual instruction :

Staffs of Public Schools. (Table El in E.-2.) The number of teachers employed in the primary departments of public schools in 1919 was 5,626 (excluding 23 supernumerary teachers) as compared with 5,4(14 teachers in 1918. Of the total number, 5,000 were adult teachers and 626 pupilteachers."' Classified according to sex, there were 1,606 male and 3,394 female adult teachers, and 123 male and 503 femaje pupil-teachers. The increase in the adultteacher staff has been, for the first time for many years, entirely in the number of men. teachers, there being 240 more men teachers than in the previous year and 58 fewer women. The return to civil duty of soldier teachers and the relinquishing of positions temporarily held by women teachers account for the facts revealed by the figures. In addition to the staff of adult teachers and pupil-teachers 436 probationers (62 males and 374 females) were employed, the number being 58 more than the preceding year. The following table shows the number of adult teachers in each grade of school classified under the headings of sole, head, or assistant teachers.

Number of Adult Teachers employed in Primary Departments of Public Schools, December, 1919.

Payments. Subjects. Number of Schools. Salaries of Instructors. i Workingexpenses. Totals. Woodwork and ironwork Domestic subjects Agriculture and dairy science Elementary science Swimming and life-saving .. I Elementary handwork and needlework Totals 506 527 1,384 120 134 2,166 £ 10.997 9.045 7,423 680 237 1,397 29,779 £ 2,832 4,687 3.267 266 217 8,379 19,648 £ 13,829 13,732 10,690 946 454 9,776 49,427

| Solo TeacherB. Head Teaohers. Assistant Teachers. Total Adult Teachers. Grade of School. I'm. I f. M. ' V. M. F. | Total. i | 8 I 141 149 163 : 478 641 193 I 333 526 411 ' 683 ! 1,094 122 ! 236 I 358 1.44 I 266 ! 410 189 398 I 587 64 131 , 195 312 728 j 1,040 1,606 3,394 I 5,000 M. j F. ! Grade 0. (1-8) .. .. •• 8 141 I. (9-20) . . . . 163 478 II. (21-35) .. .. .. 186 316 „ IIIa. (36-80) .. .. •• 22 13 „ IIIb. (81-120) IV. (121-240) V. (241-400) .. . . VI. (401-500) .. . . „ VII. (over 500) .. . . All grades .. .. ■■ 379 1 948 ! 6 i 6 382 142 1,19 j 3 105 I I 84 | 5 23 85 804 157 I 1.1 7 528 3 233 39 265 105 393 41 131 227 728 423_ 2,289 Note —The numbers of sole and head teachers do not agree the summary on pago 4, for the roason that all half-time school: grades strictly according to the average attendance of each sc the case of half-time schools, and for salary and staffing purpose) the grade is determined in the ono case by the average atton* combined average attendance of the main and side schools teachers in a'dition to those shown in the table.) > with the numl Is and side sch 3hool counted i ;s in tiie case oi idance of each together. (T bers of schools ii lools arc placed sepai-atoly, whil if main schools w i school group, i 'here were twer in each grade as shown in I in that summary in the le for salary purposes in vith side schools attached and in the other by the nty-three supernumerary