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REPORT OF THE CHIEF INSPECTOR OF POST-PRIMARY SCHOOLS (Mr. E. CARADUS) FOR THE YEAR 1947 Sir,— I have the honour to present my report for the year 1947. During 1947 there continued to be great development in the field of post-primary education. The changes listed in the 1946 report were consolidated during 1947, and additional advances made : The decentralization of the post-primary inspectorate. Further refresher courses for post-primary teachers. Courses of instruction for careers advisers. Final report of the Consultative Committee on National Trades Certificates. Establishment of post-primary teachers' bursaries. Establishment of bursaries in physical education. Continuation of training scheme for teachers of woodwork, metalwork, and homecraft, and establishment of a training course for commercial teachers. Resumption of teacher exchange. (1) The Inspectorate The additional responsibilities of the post-primary inspectorate, in particular the bringing of the secondary departments of district high schools into the post-primary field proper, necessitated further additions to the inspectorate : —- Mr. I. S. McHarg, M.A., B.Ag., B.Sc. Mr. W. C. J. Perry, M.A., B.Com. Mr. M. F. Woodward, M.A. Mr. n. S. Dixon, A.M.1.E.E., J. L. Hunter, M.A... B.Sc. while Mr. T. L. James, M.Com., and Mr. W. E. Mclndoe, were appointed in an acting capacity. During the year, Mr. G. Guy, M.A., B.Sc., and Mr. G. M. Salt, M.Sc., relinquished their temporary appointments and j turned to the teaching service. Towards the end of 1947 two further permanent av intments were made to the post-primary inspectorate —Miss E. E. Stephens, M.A. (wno nad held a temporary appointment during the early part of 1947), and Mr. A. H. Thom, M.A. These two officers will not take up their inspectorial duties, however, until early in 1948. I regard the Department as extremely fortunate in the quality of recent additions to the inspectorial team. The arrangements made at the beginning of 1947 for the post-primary inspectorate to work as a number of composite groups over all post-primary schools instead of in two distinct groups, secondary and technical, as previously, worked extremely well and will be continued during 1948. At the same time, steps have been taken for a partial decentralization of the post-primary inspectorate, and a team, in the initial stages of four, will be transferred to Auckland early in 1948 as part of the Department's general policy of decentralization. Mr. Ensor has been appointed Senior Inspector of postprimary Schools in the Auckland area. Additional Inspectors will be added to thisteam from time to time, either temporarily or permanently, as the need arises, and Inspectors from the Auckland area will occasionally be seconded for duty to Wellington and the rest of the Dominion in order that uniformity of standards may be maintained. I am proposing, in the meantime, to leave to the Auckland group the provisional grading of all post-primary teachers located in the Auckland area, their annual classification, approvals of appointments to positions in the Auckland area, approvals of evening classes, recommendations for the award of Endorsed and Higher School Certificates, recommendations in connection with accrediting, and all preliminary investigations in connection with accommodation and equipment at post-primary schools in the Auckland

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