268
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 7

17. (i.) A “certificate of competency” means a certificate that the holder has fulfilled the requirements of some standard of education, prescribed by these regulations and named on such certificate, in (1) reading, (2) spelling, (3) writing, (4) composition, (5) arithmetic, and has satisfied the Inspector that he has received sufficient instruction in the other compulsory and additional subjects: Provided that the Inspector may accept work below the requirements of such standard in one, but not more than one, of the subjects (2) to (5).

(ii.) A person may be a candidate for a certificate of competency on one of the following grounds:—

(a.) That he is seeking employment in the public service or elsewhere;

(b.) That he wishes to enter a secondary school;

(c.) That he is under fourteen years of age, and that his parent wishes to obtain for him a certificate of exemption as prescribed in section 4 of “The School Attendance Act, 1901.”

18. Immediately on the receipt of the notice of the annual visit of the Inspector referred to in clause 1, the head teacher shall post in a conspicuous place in the school a notice that such visit is about to be made, and shall call the attention of the children thereto. The parent of any child of school age, or on the roll of any school, who wishes such child to obtain a certificate of competency must give notice of his desire in writing to the head teacher at least three days before such annual visit; this notice must state on which of the grounds named in clause 17 the parent wishes such certificate to be granted.

The head teacher shall, on the day of the annual visit, hand to the Inspector lists in duplicate of those on behalf of whom notice has been given to him of the desire to obtain certificates of competency. These lists shall be written on forms provided by the Department.

19. The Inspector shall, at or about the date of his annual visit, arrange for the examination of such children as are candidates for certificates of competency in whatever way he may deem fit, and may examine them at their own or any other school; provided that for such purpose no child shall be compelled to attend at any school (not being his own school) more than five miles from his place of residence.

The Inspector may, if he see cause, refuse to examine for a certificate of competency any child on the roll of a public school who has not been instructed for at least six months in the work of the standard to which such certificate refers, or in the work of a higher standard; or any candidate who has failed to reach the required standard at an examination held during the previous three months; or any candidate in whose case he is not satisfied of the existence of one of the grounds named in clause 17 hereof.

Nothing in this regulation shall prevent an Inspector from accepting at any time the results of a head teacher’s examination or the records of a school as sufficient evidence that a child has reached a certain standard of education, and giving his certificate accordingly, whether such child be still on the school roll or not.

20. The “standard of exemption” under section 4 of “The School Attendance Act, 1901,” shall be the Fifth Standard, and the certificate referred to in subsection (e) of section 4 of the said Act shall be a certificate of competency in the work of Standard V. or a higher standard.

21. The Inspector shall examine all the pupils in the Sixth Standard class, and any other children of school age, whether on the school roll or not, whose parents desire them to be examined in the work of the Sixth Standard, and have given notice of such desire in writing to the head teacher at least three days before the annual visit, and he shall award “certificates of competency” to those who satisfy the conditions for such certificates, or “certificates of proficiency” to those who fulfil the requirements named in clause 22 hereof.

22. The standard of attainment for a certificate of proficiency shall be the same in all schools. No one shall receive a certificate of proficiency unless he (a) obtains at least 30 per cent. of the possible marks in each of the subjects English and arithmetic; (b) gains at least 50 per cent. of the possible aggregate marks in the following compulsory subjects—viz., English, arithmetic, geography, drawing; and (c) satisfies the Inspector that he has received sufficient instruction in the other compulsory subjects, and in at least two of the additional subjects, of which one must be either handwork or elementary science. In the compulsory subjects named in (b) the possible marks shall be in the following proportions, viz.: English, 400; arithmetic, 200; geography, 100; drawing, 100.

23. The Inspector may also hold special examinations of candidates, whether of school age or not, for certificates of competency or for certi-