MAORI EDUCATION

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20737, 22 February 1939, Page 8

MAORI EDUCATION

IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED BTATEMENT BY MINIBTER INTENTIONS OF GOVERNMENT (Special to Times) ROTORUA. Wednesday The problem of advancing educational methods in the Dominion must be tackled in a scientific manner said the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, in his opening address at the Dominion native school teachers’ refresher course, which opened with an attendance of about 150 teachers in Rotorua yesterday. The speaker gave an indication that he looked to the annual refresher course to advance his knowledge of the conditions and necessary improvements in the system of education. When he assumed control of the department many of the schools had been in a poor condition, but the native schools, which were faultily constructed, badly ventilated and very unhealthy, were in a particularly deplorable condition. Dangerous buildings were being replaced as quickly as possible by structures of a more modern type and good work was being done by officers of the Health Department. Although only half of the native schools had been equipped with facilities for manual training the speaker hoped that before long there would be better facilities for the boys to learn woodwork and arts and crafts, and for the girls to be given sound tuition in domestic science. The Government also hoped to increase the health and dental services at native schools, and it was also desired that during the present year the milk-in-schools scheme would apply to a greater number of native schools.

WORK FOR EDUCATION

SIR A. NGATA’S REMARKS (Special to Times) ROTORUA, Wednesday A tribute to the work of the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, and Mrs Fraser, for their interest in the advancement of teaching facilities in native and pakeha schools was paid by the National member for Eastern Maori. .Sir Apirana Ngata, at the opening of the native school teachers’ refresher course at Rotorua yesterday. “There is a definite idea in the pakeha mind of what is good for the native, but there is less idea in the Maori mind of what is good for himself,” said Sir Apirana. “The result ;s that there are frequent clashings of opinion, and what is wanted is a system which will combine the two dissimilar ideas to the advantage of both races.

“The Maori is fighting strongly to ••eta in his individualism, while the system of pakeha instruction in

--•chools has in the past tended toward the destruction of that individualism. If you are going to teach the Maori pakeha ways of living and thinking, letting him forget his ancient lore and culture, what will be the use of having native schools?”

Sir Apirana appealed to the teachers to give due consideration to the need for fostering Maori culture and traditions in the schools under their control.

ROTORUA MAORI BCHOOL

BEST IN NEW ZEALAND (Special to Times) ROTOryUA, Wednesday The statement tiiat. in addition to the new European school buildings, Rotorua would, in the near future, have the Dominion's best equipped and probably the largest native school situated at Whakarewarewa, was made by Mr D. G. Ball, senior inspector of native schools, when addressing the Rotorua Rotary Club yesterday. Mr Ball said the new school would not only have classrooms, but would also include a cottage run by the girls, a woodwork room, a good-sized garden and probably a Maori-style meetinghouse for assemblies and social events.