676 
NATURE 
[AucuST 29, 1912 
that about 50 per cent. of the pupils were under sixteen 
years of age at leaving, and therefore not qualified to 
enter for a matriculation examination even if capable 
of passing it. But whatever the explanation, it must 
be confessed that, both as regards leaving age and 
attainment, our State secondary schools do not as a 
whole represent educational work of an advanced type. 
The normal end of a secondary school course ought to 
be a leaving certificate which would be a passport 
into any profession or university, whereas at present 
relatively few reach that standard. 
In connection with the table of examinations passed 
by pupils, it is of interest to give an extract from 
another table, in which an endeavour is made to show 
what happened to pupils after leaving secondary 
schools in recept of State grants :— 
Further Education or Occupation of Full-time Pupils 
who left during the School Year. 
Proceeded to universities at ad 2°0 
a5 other schools or institutions 15°3 
Teaching ... te a ots 13°2 
Professional, commercial, or clerical 31°6 
Industrial or manual Sch 205 560 soe OST 
Agricultural or rural sis G66 2°8 
Home or unclassified occupation 20'4 
The table shows only what was the destination or 
occupation of the pupil when leaving school, and it 
thus may bear little or no relation to the career ulti- 
mately selected. But even when this is borne in mind, 
it is evident from the table that most of the pupils 
who leave secondary schools prefer to enter clerical 
rather than industrial occupations. [wo per cent. pro- 
ceeded to universities, and 7 per cent. to technical 
schools and institutions, medical schools, training 
colleges for secondary school teachers, and like places 
providing special training for professions, trades, or 
commercial occupations. 
Technical Institutions. 
A technical institution, within the meaning of the 
regulations of the Board, is an institution giving an 
organised course of instruction in day classes, includ- 
ing advanced instruction in science, or in science and 
in art, and provided with a staff and equipment ade- 
quate for the purpose. Provision must be made in such 
institutions for at least a two years’ systematic course 
in science, or in science and in art, either alone, or in 
conjunction with subjects of general commercial, 
manual, or technological instruction. Except that for 
the present students may be admitted between the ages 
of fifteen and sixteen, no student may be admitted to 
the course unless he has passed through at least a 
three years’ course of instruction in a school recognised 
under the regulations of the Board for secondary 
schools, or is over sixteen years of age and is qualified 
from his general education to profit by a course of 
advanced instruction. About 1o per cent. of the 
students are admitted without fees. 
Students in Technical Insitutions. 
Institutions recognised... 06 a6 36 
Students who attended full-time courses 2478 
Students who attended at any time during the 
year :— 
(i) Age at date of first registration for the 
Session :— 
15 and under 16 years of age 147 
16 Fs 18 oa 725 
18 A 21 5p 1314 
21 years of age and over $38 
(ii) Sex :-— 
Boys and men 304 ada ee : 2916 
Girls and women ood POS: 
NO. 2235, VOL. 89| 
Students returned as admitted :— 
(i) On account of passing a university matri- 
culation (or equivalent) examination 812 
(ii) On account of passing an examination 
recognised by the institution as a test of 
ability to profit by the courses... --. I08I 
(iii) Without passing any such examinatio 
TeSteee 2p as 652 
The institutions represented in the above table 
include almost all those in which day students are 
taking connected courses of science and technology in 
England. There are thus about 2500 such students, 
one-third of whom had passed on entrance an examina- 
tion of university matriculation standard. 
Day Technical Classes. 
Grants are payable under the Board’s regulations 
to schools and classes which are, as a rule, for students 
younger than those in the technical institutions. 
Under this category there are included, however, some 
classes of a standard equal to that required in a 
technical institution, but with courses not of sufficient 
duration to be eligible for grants as technical institu- 
tions. Day technical classes vary in their aims, some 
being preparatory to trades, such as enginering, others 
providing instruction of a domestic type, others again 
being for blind or deaf students. The classes are held 
in technical schools and colleges, and may be classified 
as (1) commercial day schools; (2) trade preparatory 
schools ; (3) special trade schools ; (4) domestic economy 
schools for girls; (5) training schools for domestic 
economy teachers; (6) detailed classes. About 40 per 
cent. of the pupils are admitted without payment of 
fees. 
Students in Day Technical Classes. 
Institutions in which day technical classes were 
recognised ... 500 ore B02 seh | ETI) 
Students who attended at any time during the 
year :— 
(i) Age at date of first registration for the 
session :— 
12 and under 15 years of age 4433 
15 op 18 aS 3151 
18 a 21 ee LIL, 
21 years of age and over... 2628 
(ii) Sex :— 
Boys and men 6162 
Girls and women 5167 
The worl of day technical classes consists in the 
main of preliminary training for apprentices or other 
specialised preparation for industrial, commercial, agri- 
cultural, or domestic life, and is equally suitable for 
students who have received their previous education 
either at public elementary or at secondary schools. 
It is distinct from the higher training given in the 
day classes of technical institutions. 
Evening and Similar Schools and Classes. 
The defining feature of these schools and classes is 
that they are intended to maintain educational facili- 
ties for those already engaged in some occupation 
which takes up the greater part of their time. The 
usual time of meeting is therefore in the evening, or 
on Saturday afternoons; but where the conditions of 
employment, or other circumstances, render a different 
time more convenient, classes meeting. in the day- 
time may be recognised under the same category, and 
may receive the same grants as classes meeting in the 
\ 5 
evening. The classes vary very widely in character 
and scope, for they range from the small and un- 
ambitious continuation classes of a rural school to the 
highly specialised work done in the best equipped of 
the technical colleges. About 30 per cent. of the 
pupils receive free instruction. 
