NEGLECTED EDUCATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2225, 31 October 1907, Page 3

NEGLECTED EDUCATION.

tress Association. AUCKLAND, Oct. 30. The Secretary for Education forwarded to the local Hoard of Education to-day an extract from a report by an inspector of Native schools on a' visit paid by him to Pcria Native school'. This stated that the Department would be surprised to learn that in the district attended there were cases of children who had been living all their lives within reach of a (hoard) school now grown up to womanhood and unable to rc'ad or write, also that there were parents who could neither read nor write themselves, and who did not send their children to school at all regularly. It was pitiful to find that while Maori children were learning to read and write (and few Maoris could not do this) there were people of our own race who looked down on tho Maoris and were cpiite inferior to them in this respect. “In the local store,” continued the repoi’t, “tho postmistress is unable to leave tho office in charge of a European girl who acts as domestic because she (the latter) cannot read or write. She had to call in a Maori girl for tho purpose. Neither tho brother of the European girl nor the sister dan read. They have been bred and born not far from the Fairborn school The matter was referred to the school committee concerned and to tho truant officer.