E.—3.

2

The following works were put in hand and should be completed early in the current year : School and residence, Parinui, Wanganui River ; and school and residence, Oruawharo, Kaipara Harbour. In view of the inadequacy of existing accommodation it has been decided to provide an additional class-room at TiJcitiki, East Coast, and also at Matangirau, Whangaroa Harbour. The extent of the Department's activities outlined in this section is an indication of the efforts made to meet the educational requirements of the more or less purely Maori districts of the Dominion.

Applications foe the Establishment of Native Schools. Applications wore received by the Department during the year for the establishment of schools at Otoko Pa, Wanganui River; Mangawhariki, Waiapu. East Coast; and Matawaia, Bay of Islands. As the result of investigations it was decided to establish schools at Otoko Pa and at Mangawhariki. At the former the necessary buildings will have to be provided, while at the latter a school will be opened early in the current year in a suitable building provided by the Maoris for the purpose of a schoolroom. In regard to Matawaia, the inquiries indicated that the number of children available did hot warrant the erection of buildings, and the people were requested to provide a suitable building. The Maoris at Te Kiekie, East Coast, renewed their application for a school, towards the expense of which they have offered to contribute a very considerable sum of money. Before consideration can be given to this renewed application, however, a visit by an Inspector must be made for the purpose of further investigation.

Attendance, etc. (1) Native Village Schools. At the closc of the year under review there were 6,620 pupils on the roll of the village schools, this number representing an increase of twenty-nine on the corresponding number for the previous year. This small increase is partly accounted for bv the withdrawal of seventy pupils from a village school in a settlement where a convent school had been opened. The average weekly roll number was 6,655, and the percentage of regularity of attendance was 87-4. Information respecting the attendance is supplied in Table II 2, from the particulars of which it will be observed that of the 134 schools in operation at the end of the year 120 gained from 80 to 98-9 per cent, of the possible attendance for the year, and of this number forty-four schools succeeded in gaining over 90 per cent, of the possible attendances. The regularity of attendances during the year was not so good as in the previous year, weather conditions and epidemics of sickness being the principal factors, militating against a better attendance. An inspection of the quarterly attendance returns reveals the fact that in a considerable number of schools the number of " excepted " half-days was very large. The exclusion of these half-days from the computation of the average attendance has the result of giving such schools a higher percentage of regularity than the actual regularity of attendance warrants. Nevertheless when all the conditions are taken into consideration the regularity of attendance of a very large number of schools is very creditable indeed. Good attendance certificates were gained by only 424 pupils in Native village schools.

(2) Mission Schools. The following mission schools are visited by the Inspectors of Native schools : Putiki, Wanganui; Te Bauke, Hawke's Bay ; Tokaanu Convent School, Lake Taupo ; Matata Convent School, Bay of Plenty ; Tanatana and Matahi, Bay of Plenty ; Ranana and Jerusalem Convents, Wanganui River ; Whakarapa Convent, Hokianga ; Pawarenga Convent, Whangape. The total number of children on the rolls of these schools at the end of the year 1927 was 470, and the average percentage of regularity was 81-6. The regularity of the attendance of the pupils at the Whakarapa and Pav.arenga Convent Schools cannot be considered entirely satisfactory.

(3) Boarding Schools (Native Secondary Schools). These schools, which have been established by various religious denominations for the higher education of Maori scholars, are inspected and examined by officers of the Department. A list of the schools, twelve in number, will be found in the section of the report dealing with secondary education. The number of scholars in attendance at the close of the year 1927 was 524. The particulars regarding the roll number and attendance of the three classes of schools are summarized in the following table

S h , Number Roll Number Average Weekly Average Percentage of at End of Year. Roll Number. Attendance. Regularity. Native village .. .. 134 6,620 6,655-1 5,816-5 87-4 Native mission .. .. 10 470 470-2 383-6 81-6 Native secondary .. .. 12 524 523-4 504-3 96-3 156 7,614 7,648-7 6,704-4 87-7