MAORI EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 254, 20 July 1908, Page 3

MAORI EDUCATION.

9 THE NATIVE SCHOOLS SYSTEM. ADDRESS BY MR. W. W. BIRD. The discussion oil Maori education was resumed by the Native Congress on Saturday morning. Mr. J. Thornton presided l . Mr. W. W. Bird, Inspector of Native Schools, read an interesting paper on tho Native schools system. Dealing with tho earlier phases of Maori education, he stated that under the system previously followed, in accordance with tho Native Schools Act of 1871, there were no fixed standards, every master,, teaching what'he thought best. Tho syllabus of instruction. was necessarily very simple—English reading, spelling, writing, and geography. Tho accommodation was.more or less unsatisfactory, the equipment poor, and the apparently irregular. Yet it would'bo very''dithcult to overrate the value of these old schools to the Maori people. In 1879 tho control of the Native schools was transferred from the Native Department to the Education Department, and then came the first definite arrangement of a curriculum. ' The- Native Schools - Code of 1880 provided for the establishment of schools, tho appointment of teachers, the conduct of the schools, and Nativo school standards of education. Of these there werefour, tho subjects of instruction being English, reading, writing, spelling, geography, arithmetic, and sewing for girls. The new inspector of Nativo schools was Mr. Janies H. Pope, whose, inability to attend the Congress on account of indifferent health ho was sure .' that everyone present regretted most heartily. ' For 25 years Mr. Popo was tho central figure in Mnori education, and in tho speaker's opinion it was duo to his untiring labours and devotion that so many young Maoris were assemblod, whoso lives had beon by the_ blessings of education. From thoitimo of his appointment there was a general awakening in the interest shown by the Maori people m education, and the attendance increased rapidly. When he retired in' 1903, full of -years and honour,' lie left behind him a monumont more lasting than brass. The 50 rough-and-ready schools had given place to 101 well-constructed buildings, the attendance had • increased from 1000 to 3693, and some, of .his first small schoolboys were University graduates. Mr. Pope's cognomen, Te : Popi, was still tho current expression'for inspector. Independent'of the Education Boards' schools, the two factors at -work to-day in educating the Maoris were: (1) Tho Nativo village and Native mission schools, and (2 )the Nativo boarding-schools. Tho boarding-schools ' (To Auto, Hukarero, St. Joseph's, Queen Victoria, St. Stephen's, and Tukarina) ryfforded secondary education to Maori children.. At-the f end of 1907 thero were' 99 village schools in working ordor, having on their rolls 4183 ,children. Since 1879 the number of children had quadrupled. At the end of 1897 there were 2864 children 'attending. 74: schools, so that in .the past ten years there had boon an, increase of 46 per cent. Mr Bird replied at length to various criticisms of the Nativo schools system. IMPORTANT MOTIONS. Tho following' motions woro submitted:— Moved by tho Rev. J. Siminonds (Wesley College,. Three -Kings), and seconded by tho Rev. J. Ward (Wanganui):— . ■. > "That -the Congress deeply- deplores .; what.appoars to bo thejcgrowtlrof u hostile class' fooling botween Europeans- and , Maoris,. manifested in various well-au-thenticated instances in connection with the education and employment of Maoris. : It regards this feeling as inimical to the harmonious relations of tho two races, and in respect of education, considors that the establishment of separate raco. 'schools would he distinctly rotrograde." 'Moved by tho Rev. R. T. ICohore (Tauranga), and seconded by the Rev. Haero Ruarangi (Thames), " That this Congress desires to place on record-its■ appreciation of■ tho -im-./ ■ -mense services rendered to tho cause of' Maori education by Mr. James H. Pope, for 25 years inspector of Nativo schools; ; it extends its heartiest : greetings_ to hitn, . , and expresses its regret at his inability : ' to. be'present" t'o-diiy.'' ''' . ' V . Moved 1 b-v Mr. -A. Wilson, Principal of I St. Stephen's College, TarnoH, and seconded jby.Hamiora Hei,: LL.B. " That, in view of tho extra labour ' iiiiposed. upon Maori students tlirpugh . being instructed and examined in a language not their, mother. tongue, and with'' a viow: to help and conserve'the Maori language, this Congress consjders that Maori should bo made an optional subject for matriculation iit least, and that. ' a :committee, consisting of Dr., Buck, Messrs. J. Thornton, 'and G. A. Han- ; sard, and the mover, be appointed, to draw up a memorial on tho subject, to - bo submitted first to the. Councils and Professional Boards and the four' University Colleges, and finally-to tho Sen- -' ato of the University." , Moved, by Mr. J.- Thornton, and seconded Buck: — "That, having regard to the fact that Maoris should have the same educational ' advantages and opportunities as Euro- , peans, and that it' isdesirable that 'Maori ;. youths' of approved ' ability should be encouraged to qualify for the learned professions, this Ccngrcss "is of opinion that the heads , of secondary . Maori schools should ,be purged to solect suitable students with a view to their be- . coming matriculation candidates." Mr. Wilson explained that with regard to tho study of Maori a more ambitious resolution, asking for a chair of Polynesian languages, had. been . passed . tho previous day, on the motion of Archdeacon Williams. It was possible, however, that his small canoe would float'in waters that would hot bear up the Archdeacon's! steamer. ' Mr. Thornton, in speaking to his motion, said that there was a general feeling that while the • Maori was good enough to go on tho land or "to be a carpenter, ho was not good enough for a lawyer or a doctor. In maintaining that the Maori wis the intellectual equal of the Pakeha, lis spoke that which he knew.. His motion merely asked the Congress to concede this principle, and the principle that the Native should have equiil educational opportunities with" the European. ■ . Archdeacon Grace (Blenheim) urged that the Maori Colleges should set thomselves to produce a Rhodes scholar from the Native race. He thought, that/this might be effected within the .next few years. ■ AH the motions were adopted.. • DONATIONS. The Chairman acknowledged the following additional donations, towards expenses:— Lady Stout, £7. 75.; Mrs., Cbrrigan, £2 25.; Mr., J. -B.:Speed, £1 Is. ; Mr. .Henry Stowe, £1; Archdeacon Williams, 10s. . TO-DAY'S PROGRAMME. This morning tho Conference will, discuss 1 the question of the formation and exprcsi sion of Maori national opinion, in connection with which Dr. Hocken i (Dunedin) will read a paper oil "Maori Journalism." Lady ! Stout will address the; Congress oil her schemes for tho advancement of Maori girls. In the evening a social and farewll meet- ! ing will ho held, at wjiicli attendance will , be by invitation. .. ' I ' . ' ===== ■"