E.--2.

part-time teachers. The total numbers of secondary departments of district high schools. in each district, and of those with proper manual-training facilities, are shown in the subjoined tab1e......... - -

Of the seventeen sohools without their own manual-training rooms, four are within easy reach of other centres, which they attend, three have some instruction in woodwork at least, and the others are so isolated that it is- difficult to group them into circuits that would justify the appointment of full-time itinerant instructors. No other solution of this problem is likelv to fee satisfactory, for it is almost axiomatic that the specialist equipment that must be provided for manual training requires specially trained and equipped instructors for its efficient use and care. The extension of part-time commercial instruction to the secondary departments of district; high schools has helped further to broaden the curriculum with the aid of specialist instructors' and has correspondingly lightened the teaching load of the regular staff. In some cases one instructor serves two or more schools owing to occasional difficulties in securing suitable teachers at times when they are themselves normally engaged in their businesses. In two cases this has developed into full-time employment for a 'specialist teacher, whose work as is that of other specialist teachers, is subject to review by Inspectors of Technical Schools and who is classified with other technical teachers. - . Itinerant instructors in agriculture also assist to some extent in the- teaching -pf their special subjects in district high schools, and generally make special efforts to promote an interest in the more technical aspects of the work. It is 110 longer possible, however, for the agricultural instructors to. visit the schools at frequent intervals, owing to the steady increase of their other interests in primary schools. This curtailment of activity of instructors in agriculture is a matter for some regret in these days, when efforts are being made to assist the district high schools to provide a curriculum better related to the. interests of those., pupils who will remain in a rural environment. Indeed, it is not unreasonable to suggest that if rural high schools are to make for themselves a national reputation, and if they are to meet in full measure the cultural needs of the adult members of their community, the present normal method of staffing could with advantage be reversed, so that " specialist " teachers should be the first appointees to full-time positions, and the teachers of " academic " subjects should, if necessary, be on the part-time itinerant staff. It is possibly the relative paucity of specialists and the abundant supply of general teachers that has brought about the present position, as well as the insistent demand of the people for opportunities that will enable their children to seek employment in the cities 011 equal terms with the town-bred youth. One need not condemn utterly " the urban drift," which is probably necessary to maintain the virility of the urban population, and which is part of the price paid for the successful attack on the problem of food scarcity; but one may well deplore the relatively poor development of courses of more general culture or of more typically rural interest. The real problem of technical education in the rural community is, however, not to be solved until the net is more widely spread to bring Jn. those young people who at present do not obtain any form of post-primary education. Figures from E.-2 for 1937 disclose the following facts in the tables relating to destination of pupils leaving primary schools during or at the end of 1936 : — Boys. Girls. Total number leaving .. .. .. .. 11,364 10,455 Number entering post-primary schools .. .. 6,580 6,294 Number entering agricultural and pastoral pursuits .. 2,067 123 Number returning home .. .. .. .. 511 2,732 The number of boys entering agricultural and pastoral pursuits, and the number of girls returning home, is in each case far in excess of the number that is attracted at this stage (the end of primary school) to any other occupation. Indeed, in the case of boys it is 43 percent. of those leaving school for work and in the case of girls 65 per cent.

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Number of Number with District. Secondary Proper ManualDepartments. training Facilities. Auckland .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 30 22 Taranaki . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3 Wanganui .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 4 Hawke's Bay .. .. .. .. .. .. 7 3 Wellington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 7 Nelson .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6 4 Canterbury .. .. .. .. .. .. 14 11 Otago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1CT 10 Southland .. .... . . . . .. .. 3 3 Totals .. .. .. .. 81 67