NATIVE SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 906, 27 August 1910, Page 9

NATIVE SCHOOLS

The report on the Native schools of the dominion, which, has been . presented to Parliament, shows that the number of Maori village' , schools- in. operation at the end ,of the year ISO 9 was ninety-four, with 4121 children on •the roll, as against 4217 at the end of 1908. The-average attendance for-tho year wa's 3680, the. percentago of regularity being 85.4, an increase.of 1 per cent, o.u/that'df the previous year. Tho number of' pupils' on ,the rolls' oftho six Native mission, schools, was 231, and on tlioso of the 'secondary Native, schools 360. At the end of "the jear,' therefore,, the total roll' nuuibor .of all the Native schools inspected : by officers of the Department, was , 4712, the average weekly roll being 4898, and. the gross average attendance" being 4213. ■••■■" ... ■ ; ■". ~■■.. ■::.-. The number, of free places in secondary stilidols at the end of tho year."was 124: : . . -. - The total expenditure on schools during the year was £32,917 165.., Deducting .recoveries, £137 175.,. the . not ■expenditure amounts to £32,779 195., as against £33,234 19s. Id. in-. 190 S. Included hi this is the' sum. of £3509 9s. 2d., expended on now, buildings ■and additions,'. £2704 12s. 3d. on secondary education, including boarding-school fees for holders ■, of scholarships ; froin village schools, industrial scholarships, arffl nursing'scholarships.. : •. ; ■' The staffs of. the. village schools included seventy-six masters, eighteen' mistressesin charge, 104 assistants, and five sowing-teachers. Tho total'a , mount paid in salaries for 1909 was £22,177 14s. 9d., the average salary of the head teachors being £IG9 12s. 4d. . ■■;:... ,The inspectors of the schools, Messrs. W. A. Bird, M.A., and J. I'orteoiis, M.A., consider the year's work most satisfactory. From- their experience they say that most of' the-schools-aro well able to hold their own in point of efficiency- with the public schools similarly situated. More than this, tho Native school affords in .many places the. only-nitons of placing before the Maori people a pattern of European' civilisation—the teacher being the only friend to whom the people could look for advice —and, though it is. only rarely that: this aspect- of. Nil tire school work' receives any. recognition,, the in-; flneiice thus exercised lias always played a very, important part in uplifting the Maori race, and is still con» vinuing to do so. . .