E—l

Superintendent of Education at Auckland In order to lessen the quantity of supervisory work to be performed by the senior professional officers in Wellington, and to co-ordinate more effectively the Department's work in Auckland, the position of Superintendent of Education at Auckland has been -created. Mr. F. C. Lopdell, formerly Principal of the Wellington Teachers' Training College, has been appointed, and he will be the directing authority for all of the Department's professional and administrative work in the Auckland area. Retirements During the year Mr. G. E. Overton and Mr. E. Caradus retired from the positions of Chief Inspector of Primary Schools and Chief Inspector of Post-primary Schools respectively. Both of these officers had given many years of devoted and efficient service to the Department, and I am glad to take this opportunity of paying a tribute to the good work which each did. Mr. D. G. Ball has replaced Mr. Overton, and Mr. G. Y. Wild now occupies the position vacated by Mr. Caradus. Teachers' Refresher Courses These courses have been held in late January for the past three years, and have had very substantial effects on the training of teachers. Unfortunately, in January ■of this year all the North Island courses had to be abandoned on account of the poliomyelitis epidemic. These courses will probably be conducted next year. The meeting together of teachers has more than justified the initiation of these courses, which have enabled instruction to be given in specialized subjects of the curriculum and have also enabled teachers to exchange ideas on topics connected with the •organization of schools.

TABLES Table C1. —PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS by Grade, December, 1947

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Grade. Number of Schools, j Grade. Number of Schools. I (1-8) 91 i VA (191-230) 35 II (9-24) 562 VB (231-270) 29 IIIA (25-30) 140 Vc (271-310) 37 IIIb (31-70) 501 Vd (311-350) 24 IVa (71-110) 179 VI (351-510) 107 IVe (111-150) 101 YII (511-910) 77 TVr n^l-lQOI 52 Total 1,935