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" Towards World Unity," " How History is Written," and " Holding a Meeting." The Bulletins, as they deal with subjects on which detailed information is not readily available, are being well received in the schools. A handbook on Native trees and shrubs has been issued by the Department and a set sent to each post-primary school. This booklet will prove of particular value in schools which are offering a course in horticulture. Early in 1948 the Department will publish a booklet entitled " New Zealand Geography through Pictures," and will supply sets to post-primary schools. This booklet aims to assist pupils preparing for School Certificate by giving useful exercises in analysing and interpreting photographs. (11) The Post-primary Curriculum The new curriculum introduced into post-primary schools in 1945 has now firmly established itself. Very few schools have found any difficulty in providing the minimum time for instruction in core subjects ; in most schools the minimum time is considerably Exceeded in at least some of these subjects. There is increasing appreciation of the educational value of the core syllabuses, particularly in the case of those pupils who leave school on reaching fifteen years of age and therefore receive two years or less of post-primary education. Further experimentation is necessary in adapting syllabuses to the needs of the latter class of pupil. The raising of the leaving age, among other reasons, has enlarged the numbers of 'those who now make School Certificate their objective. Schools through the variety of their courses, and.pupils through their choice of course or subject, are taking advantage of the wide range of optional subjects, whether these are an extension of core instruction or, as in the case of foreign languages and commercial subjects, entirely outside the core. An important effect of the extension of the number of optional subjects, as compared with the limited number available to most pupils when School Certificate and University Entrance were the joint objective of the Fifth Form courses, has been the improved status gained by those subjects and courses that do not normally lead on to the University—e.g., the home course, the trades and industrial course, and the new agricultural subjects. As a result, the term " multilateral" can now be genuinely applied, at the School Certificate stage especially, to the majority of New Zealand postprimary schools. The new School Certificate courses are succeeding in their purpose of providing a definite objective for post-primary education, without interfering with the interests of those pupils who will ultimately reach the University. The following figures, giving the number of candidates in 1947 for the various options in School Certificate, and the accompanying commentary, will illustrate the tendencies that have been generally noticed : Candidates who entered for School Certificate, 1947 A. Subjects closely associated with core syllabuses— English (taken by all candidates) .. .. 8,447 History .. .. .. ~ .. 5,362 Geography .. .. .. .. .. 4,767 Mathematics .. .. .. .. .. 4,035 General science .. .. .. .. .. 1,774 B. Fine-art subjects — Drawing and design .. .. .. .. 1,081 Music .. .. .. .. .. .. 175 Embroidery .. .. .. .. .. 23

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