EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1832, 17 April 1907, Page 47

EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND

In t/his country, where we hear- so much about education, and where the people are supposed to be so enlightened, it is interesting to note - how; many illiterates there really are-. Of every 100 persons in the colony last year, 14.9 could neither read nor write* and 1.6 could read only. These fig/ pres, however, show a cheering de< crease from those of past censuses, which show that the colony is progressing in this direction. Of course, when children are taken into account, the •figures which represent those who cannot read or write or who can, read* only, become very small, as over 99 per cent, of the total population over the- age often years, can read. The section, of the, community which has on paper- the? best education is that composed-of persons between the ages of fifteen andj twenty years, of whom 99.68 per cent, can read and write. After, that the* proportion of illiterates steadily increases until we find, that of: over-eighty years of age only 86.14 percent. can read and write. This- indicates that; the present educational' system of New Zealand ? is; turning out a well educated race;