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. interesting and successful attempt at co-ordinating the syllabuses of primary and postprimary departments was recently made at Dargaville, where a conference of teachers from adjacent schools was held. Departmental Inspectors and lecturers from the Auckland Teachers' Training l>ollege attended and participated in the discussions. ~ a L dvent of the new curriculum the district high schools, considering the limitations of tne statt, have been able to give a generous and well-balanced education—not always as rural in its outlook as one would desire—but well fitted to the majority of its pupils. Most schools have to conserve the teaching-power of the staff by not spreading 'it among too many subjects. At the same time it is necessary to select subjects so as to utilize the special qualifications of teachers as luliy as possible, while at the same time considering the wishes of the parents. As a result of the new Sohool Certificate prescriptions, pupils are choosing subjects for which thev nave a real aptitude, with the certainty that no course is a " dead-end " course. The subjects for School Certificate arise largely from the core—English, history or geography, general science or biology or horticulture. Further options then are mathematics and/or French tor the Greneral Course; agriculture and/or dairy science for the Agricultural pupil, and commerce and/or book-keeping or typing and shorthand for the Commercial Course. Homecraft and/or clothing is a popular variant for girls if a suitable teacher is available. Zoning.—The zoning of pupils to schools in the Auckland district has had to be continued. The boundaries of the various schools were examined, and in some cases redrawn. Parents who objected to any particular school were given every opportunity to discuss their case, and in the great maioritv oi cases an amicable agreement was reached. In spite of zoning, Auckland Girl's Grammar roll rose by 68 pupils over last year. It will not, however, be possible to reduce this roll until new schools are built. Buildings and Grounds— Birth-rate statistics show that there will be a greatly increased demand tor post-primary school buildings in the near future, and the activities of an energetic Building .branch are being devoted to the necessary planning. It appears that in the next ten years the number of post-primary schools in Auckland will need to be doubled. A?^ ve ste P s are being taken to acquire suitable sites, and every endeavour is being made to cope with the necessary preparation of plans. The provision of rooms for the daylight training of apprentices is being allowed for, and immediate needs are being met by the provision of prefabricated rooms. a initiative has been displayed by the Building Branch (in collaboration with Mr. Miller, Architect to the Auckland Education Board) in getting an initial contract let for fifty prefabricated rooms. These are considerably in advance of earlier designs, and are allocated to schools while the permanent buildings are designed and erected. Technical Schools in country centres are very similar to high schools in their organization and curriculum, except perhaps that in the technical school the industrial (boys) and commercial (girls) courses play a larger part. Both types of schools have a vigorous multi-course programme. Technical schools have in the past done excellent work in providing courses of work for tvpes of pupils that were not catered for in the older type of high school. The large urban technical schools have developed many courses, but still retain their practical bias because of the influence of many teachers with trade experience. There is a tendency for pupils to stay longer at school, so that the influence of the courses is increasing. interesting development in recent years has been the increase in the number of students studying at the technical schools for the professional examinations in engineering. These classes are held both m the day-time and in the evening, and, though most students can attend only part time, there are some who have been enabled to devote their full attention to these studies. „ ~T ile introduction of daylight training classes for apprentices has also helped to alter the character 01 the technical school. Further developments of a like nature will almost certainly make necessary a reduction in the technical high school roll, so that it can be said with some confidence that we are witnessing the first steps in the development of senior technical schools and perhaps of technological institutes. 6 . Schools in the main centres are developing a wider course of studies and a better-balanced education—crafts, music, and art are all playing a more significant part. The Correspondence School (Secondary Department) has done excellent work in providing for the education of pupils in remote areas and for those who are crippled. It has also provided a service for district high schools by teaching occasional subjects for which there is no qualified teacher. I have, &c., G. V. Wild, Chief Inspector of Post-primary Schools. The Acting Director of Education, Wellington C.l.

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