NATIVE SCHOOLS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12934, 14 October 1907, Page 2

NATIVE SCHOOLS.

MINISTER'S REPtY TO (TVL63 ASSOCIATION" XOXCBAM.) WELLINGTON, October 12. The Hon. (*o. ° f a public,af tack upon tho native school astern wbich not long ago woa made by a Saber of tho toko's Bay Ed^at.oa aatire scnoob Tnd certainly he has made *t«temente m regard to them which hare no justification whatever. In fact he has made a computation of the relative cost per head.or natiro and European education .and states it to he £0 us Gd in the ono ease and £■3 2s 4<l in tho ether. \V»th regard to {hie I need only remark that anyom> -who tominita himself to the etatomeut that the cost of puWic education is £3 2s 4d per head has obviously «> little knowledgo of the subject "as to be quite unentitlod to spt-iik about it. Ho says that teachers are not paid according to average attendance (-the Department have not hampered thoir pet offspring, the nativp echooki, Avitli eucli conditions') also lie says: 'In three native schools in this district the Department have provided £30 -north oi biscuits for lunch for tho native children.' There i.3 no truth whatever in either of these statements. He states the result of tlw expenditure on native school* as follow: 'Not ono ikt cent, (only J per cent.) reached the soronth standard; only two per cent, reached tho sixth fltamlard, and only four per cent, reached tho fifth.' This looks eerioiis until one turns to the standard classification of the pupils of tlio public schools and AmU tho percentages there to be 3.59, 8.24, and 10.59 respectively, not a -widely different result -when tho circumstances are duly considered. It must be remembered tho Maoris learn in practically a foreign tongue. Then there, in tho following (statement: 'The standard •was far from what thfy would expect from a public school. Teachers wore for the most part uncertificated and there was no eirpervision of school committeo or Education Board, only an oeeasionai visit from Inspectors. The thief complaint of European parents Avho were contpeJled to send their children to native schools was against the sanilary arrangements, that -was where they existed at oil. In most cases they -were conspicuous by their absonce. Europeans eomplaraed that no attempt wae mad© to keep children cloan except on the annual visit of the Inspector.' I have not yet had tho opportunity of acquiring any groat personal knowledge of the native schools, Imt during my administration of the Department I have found instances of splondid work being done in them and have learned enough to make mc confident there, is no. need for any disparagement of this kind. I find that in the House those members who know Iho native schools best are meet kindly disposed towards them. I remember that at the recent outbreak of skin disease at tho Rotorua public school every child attending the native school -was found to be absolute, ly clean und f free from disease, and 1 I know that in another education di»trict the result of an agitation against a native school was that the chairman of the Board, after visiting and tier, oughly inspecting it, reported that if he live 4in the piece he would certainly send hie own children to it. I therefore ask the public not to bo influenced by statements such as I have criticised."