SCHOOLS FOR MAORIS IN HAWKE'S BAY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3778, 24 August 1883, Page 3

SCHOOLS FOR MAORIS IN HAWKE'S BAY.

The following appears in the report on native schools presented to the Houses of Assembly:—Three of the four boardingschools in the Hawke's Bay District gave satisfactory results when examined; the fourth, St. Mary's, Meanee, (R.C.), had been thrown out of working order through a change of masters and of management; it had not recovered at tho period of my visit. The passes obtained were two in Standard I. St. Joseph's Providence Napier, (R.C.), managed by the Sisters or Our Lady of Missions, did remarkably - well Tho girls had made great progress in every subject. No one avlio has seen this school at work can doubt that the girls educated there receive very great benefit from their training. It may be, and often is, the case that girls Avho leave th s and kindred institutions do not at once give very striking proof of the good that has been done to them, but after a timeafter they have settled down and married— the effects of tho influence for good that has been brought to bear upon them become plainly apparent, and their dress, their houses, aud their children nearly always show that old pupils of these schools have been improved, in many most important respects, by tho school training they have received. Passes Avere obtained hero as follows: Four in Standard 111., two in Standard 11., and seven in Standard I. The Protestant Native Girls' School at Hukarero, Napier, also did very well indeed. Some few defects Avere noticed in the methods employed; these have since been remedied. The difficulty referred to in last year's report, arising from the weakening of our village schools through tho removal of pupils from theso to the boarding-schools, has been obviated to a certain extent. The authorities of tho boarding-schools noAV endeavour, as far_ as possible, to obtain pupils from districts Avhero there aro no village schools, ihc good effects of tho adoption of this policy will, I feel sure, very speedily become apparent. It is hoped that in a short time a sufficient number of Fourth Standard pupils will bo obtained to supply all vacancies in tho boys' boarding-schools, and a large number of those in the girls'. When this has been brought about, both village and boarding schools will be doing the kind of work they aro best fitted to perform. They have a xory salutary rule hero at Hukarero : in accordance with it a girl that has passed all her examinations spends three months in tho kitchen as a sort of head-cook, before she finally leaves the school. Of tho twenty Oovernnient scholars examined, one passed in Standard IV ; one in Standard III.; three in Standard 11. ; and four in Standard I. The Native College at Te Auto is quite sin generis. Wo have hero a good secondary school for Maoris. It is avcll equipped with all necessary appliances, and the education given is of a superior kind. Of tho ten Government scholars examined in the Fourth Standard, four passed. After the routine work was done, papers were set for tho whole school. The subjects wore history, geography, English, mathomatics, and elementary science. Ihe questions given Avere such as one Avould have got for an advanced class in a European grammar school, and were such that mere book-cram would have quite failed to enable the pupils to deal Avith them. Iho answers varied from very good down to . fair. No paper was sent in by any boy m the senior class that was not at least respectable. The answers given to tho science paper on Huxley's "Introduction to Physics" Avere remarkably good, and showed that tho pupils had thoroughly mastered the work they had gone over. Tho questions set for the second class, too, were avcll nnsworcd as far as tho matter Avas concerned, though tho style Avas, of course, less perfect. The third and fourth classes, taught by the assistant-master, ■ showed very satisfactory progress; the - arithmetic Avas especially good. Ino fifth ' class, taught by a Maori assistant, was J very much Aveaker. It seems to be rather ■ a mistake to set a Maori, be he ever so cor- ' rcct a speaker himself, to teach young pupils English ; ho Avill naturally tolerate and perhaps fail to notice mispronounciations and mistakes that an Englishman would instantly detect and correct. _ I imagine that under a Maori teacher children might acquire very bad habits in speaking, that it Avould bo very hard to -eradicate afterwards. At the examination • tho best percentages were gained by—(l) Taramana Hoi; (2) William Nehua ; and (3) T. G. Poutawera. While the intellectual education of the hoys is thus thoroughly | well attended to, their physical training is . not neglected. There is a fairly complete . gymnasium, and English games such as : cricket and football arc played skilfully • and successfully. Each boy has a moderate . share of work in tho garden assigned to - him. Ho has besides a plot of ground that is all his own Avhilc he remains at the col- ] lege; he may grow Avhat he likes in this plot and dispose of tho produce as ho wishes. The domestic arrangements aro - good, and so is tho food. Thcro is one other matter that may bo alluded to ; the . boys aro taught to behave themselves Avell - here. I spent a Avhole evening Avith tho boys of tho senior class at Te Ante, and ' noticed that there Avas no trace of bashful - ness, louti.shness, or forwardness in the conduct of any of them. On the Avhole, this Te Auto institution is a very satisfactory one. In connection with To Auto it should be mentioned that two examinations * Avere held during tho year of candidates for tho To Makirini"scholarships. Tho papers get Avere purposely made difficult, because such papers differentiate candidates completely. Tho harder the papers are _ tho more certain and satisfactory is tho decision arrived at, Avhen the object is merely to select tho best three of a number of candidates. The answering varied from_ moderate to very fair. Two scholarships were gained by pupils from Ota go Heads Vil- > lags School; one by a boy from The Neck, Stewart Island ; one went to a junior from To Ante ; and two to pupils of St. Stephen's, Auckland.