E—2

has appeared for University Entrance, and it will shortly be possible to carry on with biology to this stage. Changes have also taken place in the prescriptions of the longerestablished University Scholarship subjects, chemistry and electricity and magnetism. Both show developments corresponding with, the progress of knowledge in these subjects, and teachers who have not attended University recently find that they have to do a great deal of reading if they are to remain efficient. The introduction of general science into the curriculum has increased the need for equipment and apparatus necessary for teaching all aspects of the subject, particularly biology and the various branches of physics. These needs have so far as possible been met by the provision of special grants for equipment. Much material has also been distributed free to the schools, material that has been purchased by the Department through the War Assets Realization Board. When School Boards or science teachers have wanted information on laboratory design, the plans and specifications drawn up by a special committee of science teachers, and approved by the Department, have been available. Some of the post-primary bulletins issued by the School Publications Branch of the Department have been designed specifically for use in science teaching. These include the " Living Environment " series and a number of issues dealing with scientific institutions in New Zealand. Commercial Education Since 1945 when, by the Education (Post-primary Instruction) Regulations, commercial practice was added to the three long-established subjects'book-keeping' shorthand, and typewriting, there has been developed in many post-primary schools a more clearly-defined commercial course than was commonly found previously. At the same time the requirement of a compulsory core of studies has prevented'such a course from becoming too narrowly vocational. Prior to 1945 commercial courses were largely restricted to girls ; for boys, there was a general course with book-keeping as an option. The 1945 regulations gave an opportunity to all schools to introduce a range of commercial subjects and to develop a planned commercial course for all pupils desiring it. The new subject, commercial practice, has proved a popular addition and, up to the present time, has been developed in schools as an additional subject to book-keeping and not at the expense of book-keeping. The following table gives, for the last three years, the numbers of candidates sitting the School Certificate Examination in each of the commercial subjects :

The lower numbers sitting in shorthand-typewriting are explained by the fact that the subject is, in practice, restricted to girls, and by the fact that in some schools the Public Service Junior Shorthand and Typewriting Examination, and not the School Certificate Examination, is made the objective. The requirement by the New Zealand Society of Accountants of the University Entrance Examination as a prerequisite for its professional examinations and the postponement of the Entrance Examination to the post School Certificate year have resulted in a decrease in the number of pupils in Form VI who are preparing for accountancy examinations.

23

Number of Candidates. Subject. 1946. 1947. 1948. Commercial practice 385 629 808 Shorthand-typewriting .. 276 343 368 Book-keeping 1,016 1,173 1 1,166