NOTES ON EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 650, 29 October 1909, Page 8

NOTES ON EDUCATION.

[By Soobateb;] !

OUR. NATIVE SCHOOLS.'' From the annual -report'of tlie. inspectors of Native Schools ill' New Zealand—Messrs. W. W. Bird, M.A., and' Jphn; Porteus, M.A:—re-/ 1 cently; presented' to Parliamentiby the; Minister. 1 for Education the'following comments on vari- j ous aspeots of Maori Education are reproduced as being of'.general* interest:—'■'■. V.-' ] .Tho subjects'of-instruction'in. Native schools are,now English,-.arithmetic'; handwork,'siiture- ■ study, morals,, singing, and physical' drill." The. j system of education followed in the earliest . times was .to impart , insfruction^.to'the Maoris , ill .their own .'language in establishments where , great'.numbers.'of : , 'all ages'--were' congregated, . and where they were not but housed,'clothed, and fed.' • Some qf these estab- ' lishment|s'contained more, thalf ; a, hundred Nativesj'and, the. cost of ■ maintenance; was considerable.. By' the Native Schools Act. of 1858, a,grant of i£7ooo per annum was. provided for. a-term,of seven years in aid of; schools, for; the education, of the aboriginal. Native race,. whether children' or adults.' ' Grants ! from this' fund' were made periodically to; the respective managers.: of- schools aided;'.under - the Act, ■ in proportion to, the number bf-.scholars,' the -rate of capitation being-not less than and not greater than ; 'i!lo -per. head. Instruction in .the English language and ;in--the'. ordinary.'subjects of primary English, education,,and industrial training, formed a necessary, part ; of the system -pursued in every school: that.received Government aid. -The. Natives ; ' Schools- Amendment; Act of.'. 1867' provided fot'the-.formation. o ( f education; districts''and for the granting, of subsidies -towards. ,the .cost' of', buudiiigs and .' teachers''salaries. ,The-Act required that in-', struction should be on/in!the. English language as far. as possible. -Before the Act could' be brought' into: effectual'- 'operation- the North Island became involved in' war, and it, was not until- the year. 1&71 that a strenuous effort could- be made" to construct a ' workable schome of.' Native '.educatiln/ •" /.' ; The objects desired' by .th? Government in passing-tlie 'Native. Schools Aot of .1871, were as follow:—firstly, the establishment, of village schools whenever a sufficient Native population and other circumstances rendored it: possible; secondly, the instruction;, of tlje.' Natives in the English language only , except, in cases where the'; location' of. an' English teacher might be found impossible; the working of the village schools through,;' the. .agency >,of "the Maoris themselves' associated/wjth and aided bv such' Europeans: as mighty be. willing to . work with them on,6chool committees; fourthly, the contribution by' the Natives of'.sjiifch;prdportion of the expense.of/school buildings .and- schoolmaster's salary' as" might be agreed upon; and, fifthly, the-careful inspection and supervision of .'all.schools'receiving Government aid.:' There were no- fixed standards every master teaching what' he, thought bsst.'The syllabus' of instruction in vogue; seems to have been' very simple, and necessarily sthfEnglish, arithmetic, spelling, ■ writing, and geography: .The-accommodation was,more -pr less unsatis-' factory, the equipment. poor, and unsuitable, and in general tho. attendancewas very irregular, but in.; spite of such, difficulties/and shortcomings' the influence pf . such schools was undoubted.- Under, this regime our oldest Native, village schools, many, of .them still in flourishing, condition, were ', established—Toko'maru Bay, Tuparoa, Waioniatatini, Matata, Ohaeawai,,- Kaikohe, • Waima,' Pukepoto,, Ahi--.para-., , -During .these, years: the Native 6'choplßwere. under the direct, control' of .the Native Depart ment'., They , were transferred, to. the Education Department at the end'"of the year. 1879, and with the transfer 'came the 'first definite -arrangement 'of, a' curriculum, The Native.Schools :Code of 1880 ''provided: for ;the, establishment of schools, the. appointment ,of teachers;' the conduct of the school,. and 'Native sohool standardsof' education.'/- Of theso;' there were'■ four, the Bubjeots of instruction being .English,' reading!: •writing,.. spelling, geography,arithmetic, and: sewing for■; girls.Tho "central.- ideal ' in' .early Naftve/edq(»tion".wfis,vto. from'a reliort .of Mr.' Pope, late Lnspector oi Natiye Schools, "to" bring an untutored, biit intelligent , and high-spirited people into line-with' our. civilisa? tion by placing in Maori settlements European school buildings aJid:European families to, serve as teachers, and as; examples of a new and .more' desirable modo of life. In a statement :of 1 tho advances mado by the .Education -Department,'it is vonly ..right, to.acknow'ledge that'the leading idea which governs. Na--tive school work was' in full operation when ;we- took the schools over." - , ' Since then, no radical changcs .have, be en made 'in the syllabus' except, that amendments, have' been. made and 1 addition al • provisi ons inserted '.as became necessary. The'code in.iorceJ.'befoTß. the present revision took placp^-that'or 1897—' '• defined a l , syllabus*' of • work- for.; four - standards in -'reading,- spelling,"- writing,' ■metic,' and sowing, to -which 'were added;health,' 'drawing, singing, and drill. (-'.Pupils,above Ithe. fourth standard of the Native Schools Code were, expected to be. able: to. attempt the .work prescribed for standards,V- and VI, of the i»ib- : lie schools. The' standard of exemption ' was then standard IV, And frpm this, .ana from' tlie fact .that no syllabus haid, been definitely ,arranged for standards above IV arose tho impression that, still obtains in. .Imany places— namely, that in tlio Native schb'ols chiluren do not go beyond'the' fdurth standard..' The principal changes involved in the new syllabus are - made ■ necessaiy by . tbe;.gefteral -progress..of the schools, by. modern .ideas .in -education, and by various alterations in method that experience has Bhpwn to; be. ,desirable. .Theve is'no subversion of .the priijciples'laid, down in the Act of 1871. Handwork, indud-, ing under that, term -each' industrial., training 'as; it 'is possible, to give -in priniary. schoojs of the' kind,' represent the new V.factor. ;: Tho changes, in" mode of lifo s that have occurred amongst- the Maoris since.-1880|; ,and . the., -' ,advance'made by the s'chopls since 1897, have r'en,dered it necessary: that the'syllabus,of instruction- ill NaHVe * schools ■ "should approximate much ■ niorp closely to! that* id' public' schools, and "for . t)iis reason 'the hew - syllabus follows closely the syllabuS of work'.prescribed for pub'lie: schools by the-regulations'of 19041- There is an additional reason for this approximation: in the majority of; our Native-schools are to Be. foniid European children''for ;whom ',it is desiraWe v that. educational facilities.; shall- be, provided-that, in the absence (if a l-luropcan school - in the district, - shall place them •at no disadvantage; 'We' dais- !that;?the ] European child- attonding a Native-school can attain ■therein' the 'standard of: proficiency of the. pub-> lie school of similar size and similarly siioated, and we have to shape .opr_ syllabus of'.instructioji. accordingly» It. is interesting, to note, that the' American. Govornijient, upon acquiring , possession of tho .Philippine Islands; - setabout tho' task of ' educating the Filipinos. 11l manner; almost ;ii}entical. with; that'prescribed ■for our Nativo-'schpols.; The chpice' 'of tho Eilipino , people is at present-', overwhelmingly in favour -of English instructicn<" ,:■,■... ■

~No '.one will deny,.'state; the-inspectors,-in..» rofere'nw to' higher education.'for 'the -Maori,, that - the Maori .boy-,shbuld' havo'acctes. to .the highest' degree of. education ; .to • which \it is possible for him to' attain, but .few;\vill;-,assert that such' education, is .necessary: or,'.even' desirable for."Qvpryone.■' In. fact;, in'." the' pfroooss;.ofi. pit-fewVMaori-.boys through,' tho matriculation. examino.tipn. the Vwhole ..usefulness of 'a school, may. bo. considerably impaired. Much has - been- said :in support/of .giving .Maori youths such' education as*will'fit thdm for .the nignor;' bilks' in; life; however, these ,walks.'the . great'majority v are destined never .to tread—in; our . opinion .Maori: boys and girls' Would be. better' occupied/,in .learning something of the dignity• of lab.biir.-. In-these days , the ' education' .of. the Mftori, .'as indeed that of the "European;' 'should ;be' inAthe' direction', of .fitting .him for,, his; work in-;life.. .It would undoubtedly .of - greater • service ~to them to? know the principles : ;bnd practice; of agriculture, the elements • pf: dairy • farming, ■woo Massing,' and thomanagement /. of' stock, ' than thß declension of Latin noiins ind • verbs. ■ Sis univel*si(y scholarships' have., hithmo been, provided for. Maori youths : Whopassed with credit* the on trance'examination to the "university. Three, of these;.-,wets rbsetved for'th6se who" wished to .6tudy .the ramainder. being'dovotcd; to-arts;.. scienfje, or The record 6f the university, scholarship, sihemo for,Maoris:is'not encouraging, and the. results have-' not in any way,' been commensurate - with the expense'.. In' recant years ' the candidates have, shown themselves to- be,-.lack-ing, in, application and-' to, be unworthy -of scholarships.' To such -a:degree-was this v ap ;parent that "the'Deiwrtment dqdidedj that. the scheme should reihaiii .in -apeyaTice, l and no uQiversjity. - scholarships ' for tho. present, bo awarded.. •' -s,'• ■

•' Important change?. in regard' to.;U». payment of-teacher's have 'been made, during rfhe past two years. The scald of;'salaries.;introduced in 1007. brought' ail -approiihiatioil-, to. j that .pro-, vided in the case of teachers of public schools, ; and -caimed an increase .of ~v 68550 dn- the total amount'paid., in'salaries. ; ,Amended .regulations have, since been i&uediby., which'. teachers ■of Nativo sohools, are placcdjpractically; on; the. sanie footing as .thoso •of pftbl jc .'schools;' Tho increase in the total amount: ipaid in'Sßlarics affected by the change is ' about v£2sopnrthnt isto say, to bring tho salaries of tho teachers of Native schools into line with those of public schools' has meant a»', ,£GOOO. .;