Maori Education

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6838, 20 April 1932, Page 11

Maori Education

NEED EOR GREATER SYMPATHY. The education of the Maori was the subject of an address given at yesterday’s meeting ol’ the Palmerston North Citizens’ Luncheon Club by Miss E. M.

Kinross, principal' of the Turakina Maori Girls’ College (Marton). Miss Kinross stated that money spent on the education of the Maori was not wasted. She wished to deny the often expressed opinion that the educated Maori went back to the mat. Those who thought along those lines knew very little about the Maori. Where there were sufficient Maori children in a. district, small Government schools were established and those schools were doing a great deal. The teachers were the friends of the Maori people and extended their efforts to help all Maoris to improve their social conditions. There was a real necessity to improve the living conditions of the average Maori settlement for the influence or the best, teachers of the best, schools was largely counteracted by condition’s outside, and that was why one favoured residential schools for Maori boys and girls. That was the best way to bring the Maori children into contact with better standards of living and Miss Kinross had no hesitation in stating (hat the boarding schools had dono a tremendous lot to better* social conditions. Many of those schools were the burden of the church and the Government was loud in its praise of the training given. It was admirably suit-

ed to the needs of Maori boys and girls. The colleges were not “blue-stocking” institutions. At the Marton College the girls did the milking, gardening, cooking and housework. It was entirely a school of domestic training so that they could go back to their people and bo an example and help. The fees received did not pay the cost of the training—the churches had to bear the burden. Nevertheless, all that was being done was too little. The Maori girls were ambitious, keen, industrious and very easy to teach—all were well worth all that was being done for them. The National Economy Commission had recommended that the scholarships for Maori children should be abolished. She had been amazed at the suggestion because it was all the Government had done for the Maoris in that direction. However, her fears had been allayed and the Government now did not intend to inflict that alleged economy. However, the Commission’s attitude

was similar to that of many people who knew nothing about tho Maoris. Tho trouble was that too many were impatient at the results of tho education facilities given the natives, but Miss Kinross said she could assure those who thought like that, that a steady progress was being maintained and one should not expect sudden results. The pakcha expected tho Maori to adopt in the 100 years that lie had been in contact with the European, ways and conditions that had taken the latter thousands of years to obtain. Tho speaker called for a greater sympathy. The girls went back to their homes and stayed there and many complained at that. But, Aliss Kinross asked, whero were they expected to be? The home was surely their place and they were being trained for that. Because the girls went homo after College, they were not going “back to tho mat.” They might be seen bare-footed and apparently living as previous to their college training, but a closer investigation ' would reveal that those girls were in charge of tho homes and conducting them on totally different lines from previous custom and perhaps feeding their babies on something different ; from potatoes. There was a great need for a greater sympathy with the education of the, Maoris—both boys and girls. Rev. G. T. Brown proposed a vote or thanks to the speaker, the motion being carried by acclamation.