NATIVE SCHOOLS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18765, 19 January 1923, Page 6

NATIVE SCHOOLS

PRESENT CONTROL SATISFACTORY. (From Our Own Correspondent.) ' AUCKLAND, January 17, The matter of the Maori’s education was dealt with yesterday by the President of the Native School Teachers’ Association, Mr C. T. M‘Pariano. In" the course of his annual address he referred to a statement that had been published in Wanganui advocating the institution of a Board of Governors to control native education, all native endowments given for educational purposes to come under the board’s jurisdiction. Mr MT’arlano-said the Native School Teachers’ Association would strenuously oppost? any such change in the control of the native schools as that proposed. The control and management had been vested in the Education Department for many years, and it was quite apparent that the native schools should be administered separately and treated in the nature of special schools. The reason given for advocating control by a special Maori hoard was simply ridiculous. There might, be isolated eases where people said expenditure on Maori education was wasted, but such instances showed pure selfishness and an utter lack of the true British slpirit. They were fortunately very rare. The old Te Ante curriculum, said Mr M'Farlane. was founded upon that of the English public school. No deny the fine influence exercised for many years by Mr Thornton. One fine feature was the sound moral -training he gave which must have had a goorl influence upon the Maori youths who passed throu/rh the college. The call for vocational training of the Maori youth had had an effect upon the powers that bo at Te Ante, and a more practical scheme was now in operation.