EDUCATION: NATIVE SCHOOLS.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1881 Session I, E-07

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1881. NEW ZEALAND.

EDUCATION: NATIVE SCHOOLS.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency:

No. 1. Extract from the Fourth Annual Report of the Minister of Education* In last year's report it was announced that the administration of affairs connected with Maori schools had been lately transferred to the Department of Education. The Organizing Inspector of Native Schools entered upon his duties at the beginning of the year. His report, with the statistics for the year, is printed in a separate Parliamentary paper.* The Native Schools Code, which came into partial operation in August, and has been in full force since the beginning of April, has evidently imparted a healthful stimulus to the work of all the schools. During the year 4 schools, with an average attendance of 21 in all, were given up, and 3 new schools opened, with an average attendance of 66 in all. At the end of the year 6 other small schools, with an average attendance of 43 in all, were closed. Since the beginning of this year 6 new schools have been opened, in districts which afford every promise of large attendances. The average attendance has risen from 1,042 (597 boys and 445 girls) in the last quarter of 1879, to 1,277 (724 boys and 553 girls) in the corresponding quarter of 1880. The average attendance for the whole year has been 1,240. The number on the roll at the end of the year was 1,623, as against 1,366 at the beginning. Of the 1,623 children on the roll, 1,241 are Maori, or between Maori and half-caste; 156 are half-caste; and 226 are either between half-caste and European, or European. Ninety-nine of the children are under five years old, 828 between five and ten, 581 between ten and fifteen, and 115 above the age of fifteen. The average attendance for the last quarter, compared with the roll number at the end of the year, shows that the daily attendance is at the rate of 78*7 per cent, (the corresponding rate for the public schools being 78*1 per cent.). The largest average attendance at any school for the fourth quarter of the year was 64; at four other schools it was above 40 each, and at 15 others it exceeded 25. The number of teachers at the end of the year (exclusive of 39 sewing-mistresses) Avas 60, of whom 9 were assistant mistresses, 3 pupil-teachers, and 48 teachers in full charge. In addition to the 1,623 pupils in village schools, there were maintained at the cost of the Government, in institutions where board and residence are provided, about 200 scholars, the numbers at the end of the year being 100 boys and 97 girls, or one boy and one girl less than the average number for the year. By arrangements of which notice was given before the end of the year, the number for this year will be less by about 50; and the term for which a child is admitted will be ordinarily limited to two years. The older boarders are being gradually removed, and their places supplied by boys and girls from the village schools wdio have passed the Fourth Standard of the Native Schools Code with credit. This amounts to the establishment of a simple scheme of scholarships, which there is reason to believe will work satisfactorily. It is intended to admit also a few children from districts that are without schools.

[* That is, iu this paper, E.-7.]

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The expenditure on Native schools for the year has been as follows :— £ s. d. Village school salaries (1,240 in average attendance) ... 7,932 7 11 Boarding schools (199 children) ... ... ... ... 3,728 6 10 School requisities and contingencies ... ... ... 1,224 6 3 Buildings and furniture ... ... ... ... 1,908 19 9 Inspection (including travelling) ... ... ... ... 877 7 0 Office salaries and clerical assistance ... ... ... 156 7 4 Apprenticeship and maintenance of sons of chiefs ... ... 1,070 12 3 £16,898 7 4 The department is greatly indebted to some of the Government officers in Native districts, and particularly to Mr. 11. W. Brabant, Mr. B. S. Bush, Mr. J. S. Clendon, Mr. J. 11. Greenw*ay, Mr. G. Kelly, Major Mair, Capt. Porter, Capt. Preece, Mr. A. P. Batcliffe, Mr. S. C. E. Vickers, and Mr. S. Yon Stiirmer, Avhose local influence and knowledge of Native affairs have enabled them to render very valuable services as District Superintendents or in other capacities.

No. 2. REPORT OF THE ORGANIZING INSPECTOR. Sir,— Wellington, 30th June, 1881. I have the honour to forward my Report on the Native Schools of New Zealand for the year 1880-81. It is as follows :— I have now visited all the Maori schools once, and nearly all of them twice. The numher, including ten small schools that have heen given up since I "first visited them, is 75, namely, 66 village schools and 9 boarding schools. In this enumeration the subsidised school at Kawhia is not included : it had practically ceased to exist before the period to which the report relates. The number of schools now under my inspection is 64. Of these 57 are village schools, conducted under the superintendence of the department, two of them being merely subsidised schools ; and seven are boarding schools belonging to religious bodies or private individuals. Besides the schools there is a boarding-house at Tauranga, for boys that have attended village schools in the Bay of Plenty District, and are now pupils at the Tauranga Public School. The village schools are distributed over New Zealand in the following way:—In North Auckland, 27; Hot Lake District, 5 ; Bay of Plenty, 7; East Coast, 5 ; Marlborough, 2; Canterbury, 4; Otago,. 3; Southland and Islands, 4. The boarding-schools are located as follows: Bay of Islands, 1; Auckland, 2; Hawke's Bay, 4. Since the beginning of the year 1880 the schools at Waiomio, Orakei, Kaihu, Pakia, Karakariki, Kawhia, Taupiri, Kawakawa, Arahura, and Oromahoe have been closed in accordance with the Code (xvii., 3), which provides that work at a Native school may be suspended when the average attendance falls below fifteen. New schools have been opened at Motukaraka, Omanaia, Waitetuna, and Koraka (Colac Bay), the Natives having provided suitable sites, and satisfied the department that good average attendances would bo maintained. Schools have also been opened at Te Kao (Parengarenga), and Fort Galatea. New schools are about to be established or old schools to be reopened at Whangape, Te Teko, Maungatapu, Pakowhai, and Kaikohe, and probably at , Mangamuka, Ruataniwha, and Ramoto. Motukaraka is in the district of Hokianga; it is about three miles from Herd's Point, and on the opposite side of the harbour. The attendance at this school will not be large, but it will probably be very regular. A master that has been successful in a South Island Native school has been transferred to Motukaraka. Omanaia is also in Hokianga ; it is near the head of a tidal river that flows into the harbour. It is six or seven miles from Herd's Point. There should be a good attendance at this school, which has been placed between two considerable Native settlements. Waitetuna is in the Raglan district, and about twelve miles from Whatawhata. Mrs. Hooper, formerly teacher at Karakariki, is doing what may be called outpost work here. The school is held in the Native church, and the teacher with her family lives in a Maori whare that has been put up for her. I visited the school at the beginning of the year, and found about thirty children in regular attendance, with the prospect of a considerable increase. There is every reason to believe that new and permanent buildings will be required here. The school at Colac Bay, in the far south, has been opened lately. This is at present purely a Native school; it is probable, however, that in a short time a certain number of European children will attend. A school in this locality was much needed. A subsidy has been granted to a school at Te Kao, Parengarenga Harbour, near North Cape. There are many Native children here, but circumstances hardly warrant the establishment of a fully-equipped school just at present. School buildings are about to be erected at Kaikohe in the very important Maori district that lies between Hokianga and the Bay of Islands. At least 60 children should attend this school.

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The Board school at Pouto Point, Kaipara Heads, has been handed over to the department, the scholars at the school being nearly all Natives. This also is to be treated as a subsidised school. The school at Fort Galatea, between Lake Taupo and the Bay of Plenty, after having been closed for several years, has been reopened, and, so far, its prospects are encouraging. The old military buildings at the Fort are being utilised as a schoolhouse and teacher's residence. The same sort of thing will shortly be done at Te Teko, a Maori settlement on the Rangitaiki, where a school is very urgently needed. The Fort Galatea experiment is a very important one. The Fort is near the borders of the Urewera country, and it is hoped that the establishment of a school near their territory may lead the Ureweras to ask for a school in their own district. A most important school is just being opened at Whangape Harbour, which lies between Hokianga and Ahipara. There is a very large Native population in this secluded district; the average attendance should be at least fifty. The Church of England authorities have given the department the use of the church at Maungatapu, near Tauranga. This is about to be opened as a Native school under the care of a gentleman that has had great experience with the Natives, and has already been a Native school teacher. The Natives at Pakowhai, in Hawke's Bay, having expressed a desire to have their school reopened, an experienced master has been sent to take charge of the school there. New schools are required at Mangamuka, in the Hokianga district; at Kirikiri, in the Thames Valley; and at Ruataniwha and Ramoto, near Wairoa, Hawke's Bay. Should the necessary funds be granted by the General Assembly, I think schools should be built at these places at once. They are all centres of Maori population, and in all of them the Natives are very anxious to be provided with the means of educating their children. Applications for new schools have been sent in from three other districts. lam to visit these places and report upon them as soon as possible. I had hoped before this to be able to visit and inspect a school at Te Waotu, in the Patetere District, but the inevitable delays that precede the acquisition of a title to even the smallest piece of Maori land have not in this case yet come to an end. The obtaining of a site and the establishment of a school in this district are still in the future. The tables in the Appendix give statistics of the attendance at each of the village schools; of the passes obtained in standards; of the salaries of the teachers ; and of the efficiency of the schools, as judged by the attainments of the children, taken in connection with the average time of their attendance at school. In Table No. 3, the numbers in the column headed " Efficiency of School" range from I. to V., those marked I. being the most, and those marked V. the least efficient. It should be remembered that the " Efficiency Numbers " are intended to give some idea of the relative value of the different schools as educational institutions, and show which schools are actually doing the most and the best work. A low number assigned to a school does not necessarily mean that the master of that school is not up to his work. In some instances the lowness of the number obtained is owing to causes that are, to a large extent, beyond the master's control. Such causes are : apathy of parents, and consequent extreme irregularity in the attendance of the children; difficulty of access to the school in bud weather; the frequent occurrence of tangis and Native feasts; numerous visits of tourists to the district in which a school is situated, and consequent withdrawal of the attention of the children from their schoolwork ; scarcity of food; &c, &c. Any one of these causes may seriously impair the efficiency of a school, and materially lower the number of passes obtained by the children at the annual examinations. School-Buildings. The Native school-buildings are now in very fair order. Many of them, however, are not well suited for school purposes. Some of them seem to have been built on the principle that any kind of structure that would keep out the rain and give partial shelter from the wind and sun would do for a Native school. It seems to me that if it is at all worth while to erect a Native school in any district it is worth while to erect a good one. The greatest care should be, and now is, taken to build no school where the attendance is unlikely to be permanent and tolerably large, or where it is not possible for a considerable number of Natives to find the means of subsistence in the neighbourhood of the school all the year round. But, when once the establishment of a Native school has been determined upon, it is very important that every means should be used to make the schoolhouse and the residence thoroughly convenient and comfcrtable for the children and the teacher, and sufficiently substantial to cause the Natives to take a pride in their school. It is a great mistake to put up school-buildings of such a character that the Natives can see at a glance that they are far inferior to those intended for European children. Owing to their family relationships and their ideas of the duties that these relationships involve, it is ordinarily by no means difficult for Maoris to make arrangements for boarding their children at settlements in the neighbourhood of schools that are ten or fifteen miles distant from their own homes. Hence it is not necessary to erect a school in every small settlement, in order to afford school accommodation for all the children of a district; and what is a very serious difficulty in a district that has in it, here and there, small aggregations of European population,

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is in a similar Maori district no difficulty at all. As a rule, to which there are a few exceptions, no Native school would be required within fifteen miles of a similar school. This, of course lessens the number of schools required to supply the wants of any given district, and justifies a larger expenditure on schools that are to he built in suitable central localities. The new buildings at Motukaraka, Omanaia, &c, are well constructed and commodious, and are furnished with all necessary appliances. In fact, the teachers of these schools will have every facility for carrying on their schools just as if they were European schools. This is exactly what is required. School Furniture, etc. All sorts of desks have been in use in Native schools : double desks, which are objectionable, because they give children very undesirable facilities for carrying on conversation while in school; wall-desks, which almost seem to have been contrived to make the master see as little of his pupils as possible; and long desks, that do not allow the teacher to have access to his pupils without disturbing, more or less, the order and work of the class. Dual desks of an improved kind, which have none of these disadvantages, are gradually being substituted for the older kinds, to the manifest improvement of school discipline. "Illustrations of Natural History" are being supplied to the Native schools. It is hoped that these will be of very considerable use to the teachers, by giving them the means of leading the children to form something like accurate conceptions of the forms and sizes of the animals, birds, fa&c., treated of in their reading lessons. These illustrations, too, may be made a valuable means of educating the pupils' faculties of observation and comparison. Discipline. The discipline in Native schools is, as a rule, good. Maori children, if properly dealt with, are very easy to manage. They take great interest in their work when they are taught intelligently ; they are seldom disposed to be either sullen or disorderly. In a few schools the children are allowed to leave their places without permission, or to talk to one another during school hours, and the masters endeavour to cure these faults by expostulating with the children, without insisting on the restoration of complete order in the school before anything else is done. In such cases one hears the master frequently saying, "Now, children, this noise will not do;" or, " You really must be quiet;" the children, apparently, thinking in the one case that the noise will do very well, in the other that the necessity for their being quiet is by no means urgent. In one or two schools this nuisance is endured as a necessary evil, and no attempt is made to abate it. I have endeavoured to convince the masters that the proper remedies for it are good school drill, and the refusal of the teacher to go on with the school business while there is unnecessary noise in the schoolroom. In no case should a master continue to teach while children are talking to one another. The school-work should be stopped as soon as such a breach of discipline is observed; the principal offender should, for the first offence, be made to change places with some other pupil, then, after perfect silence has been maintained for a short interval, the work should be resumed. For a second offence the child should be removed from the vicinity of the other pupils, and detained for a few minutes after the school is dismissed. But in a really good Maori school there is seldom or never any occasion for this sort of thing; all the children are kept constantly employed, and they have been so thoroughly disciplined by means of school drill, that they have neither time nor inclination to attend to anything but the school-work. It seems to me that in a Maori school corporal punishment should be inflicted as sparingly as possible, and only as a last resource. Native children appear to resent such punishment in a way that European children have no conception of. There is only one school that I know o fin which the master uses the cane without alienating the affections of the children to a greater or less extent. He, I believe, would get on much better without it. Where punishment is absolutely necessary, a few minutes' detention after school will be found to be unobjectionable, especially if more than one offender has to be punished. Maori children have a great dislike to this kind of punishment, and at the same time it does not lower them in their own estimation, as corporal punishment does. Occasionally a pupil may prove to be hopelessly intractable; in such a case, the removal of the child from the school is advisable. In nearly all the Native schools the tone is good. That is to say, the children are fond of their work and of their teachers. It is seldom that one hears of any attempt being made by pupils "to serve the master out," or to annoy him in any way. Prompting and copying are the principal faults to be complained of under this head. But a teacher should generally have no difficulty in doing away with these faults. When once he can succeed in making the children understand that it is against the interests of the school, that it prevents their own progress, and that he himself is really anxious that this kind of dishonesty shall not be practised, they readily give it up. The average tone of Maori schools is, I believe, rather higher than that of European schools, and for this reason : A European school may be, and often is, kept going long after its tone has hecome very seriously defective. In a Maori school this is not possible. If the pupils have once lost their respect for and their confidence in the master, the school cannot go on at all. The children then simply leave the school, and it is useless to attempt to get them to attend it. In some cases this loss of confidence and respect is brought about by circumstances for which the master cannot be considered responsible {e.g., the parents sometimes wrongly think that he does not understand his

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work, and the children get hold of the same notion). When this happens to be the case, it is always advisable that the master should be removed to another district as soon as possible. The cost of the removal of teachers for such reasons is a considerable item of expenditure on Maori schools, and one that cannot well be got rid of. Records. The school records are generally correctly, but not always neatly, kept. It is desirable that all teachers should be requested to keep copies of returns and requisitions sent by them to the department. These .would often be useful to themselves, to the department, and to the Inspector, and the keeping of them would not entail much extra trouble. Condition of Schoolrooms and other School-Buildings. Native schoolrooms are generally found to be neat and clean. In a few instances the rooms have been used as storehouses for flour, horse-feed, saddles, &c. In future, schoolrooms in which such things are found will 'be reported as untidy. In one or two schools I observed considerable want of neatness; books, papers, &c, were lying about anyhow. One or two school? rooms were found to be rather dirty. One was dirty and untidy in the extreme. Organization. A considerable time must elapse before this very important matter will be so far advanced as to leave no improvement to be desired. The Inspector is, in the main, responsible for the organization of Native schools. It is plain that until the teachers are well acquainted with the more modern methods of instruction, and are able to work rather complex time-tables successfully, ah attempt to organize all the schools in accordance with the most advanced ideas on the subject would be a great mistake, and would probably end in a rather ridiculous failure. The organization of Native schools, to be successful, must be a growth. Improvements have to be introduced as the circumstances of each school appear to afford a fair prospect of their being worked successfully. Much, I think, has already been done. In very many of the schools the work of the teachers is certainly becoming more effective through improved organization and the use of better methods. Some teachers that formerly worked hard, and produced very fair results, are now getting much better ones; while not a few other teachers, whose strenuous exertions were, through their defective technical knowledge of school organization and method, a mere beating of the air, are now doing really useful work. The introduction of the Native School Standards must be largely credited with this satisfactory alteration. By causing teachers to direct their efforts towards the attainment of definite ends, they have nearly done away with discursive and ill-directed teaching, the effect of which was, as disclosed by the results of carefully conducted examinations, to give the children a slight superficial acquaintance with many things, and a sound knowledge of nothing. The standards, too, have effected a great improvement in the classification of the children, a result that such standards nearly always bring about. Examinations. The Native School Standards are not high. A Maori child of fourteen that has attended school regularly for five years should be able to pass Standard IV. without much difficulty. There is, then, no reason why the examinations for the standards should not be conducted with considerable strictness. In fact, they are so conducted. No child is allowed to pass in any standard if he has failed in any one of the subjects required for that standard. In every instance it is required that the knowledge of the pupil that is being examined shall be sound and accurate as far as it goes. In such work as transcription, copying figures, and set arithmetic no mistake is tolerated. For Standards 111. and IV. three-fourths of the marks for arithmetic must be obtained. Very easy pieces are selected for the examination in reading; but the piece chosen must be thoroughly well road, or the child fails. Common words are chosen for the examination in .spelling, but these must be correctly spelt. Blots, mistakes, and careless writing in a copy-book disqualify for a pass in writing. A little latitude has been allowed in one subject only—the English of the standards. In future, I think, this, the most important of the Native school subjects, should be as strictly dealt with as any of the others. While, however, the answering of the children must be thoroughly satisfactory, if they are to pass the standard examinations, the greatest care is taken to make the pupils thoroughly understand the meaning of every question put to them, so that the examiner may be able to feel sure that every failure that has been made has been owing to ignorance on the part of the child that has failed, and not to its misconception of the meaning of the questions given, or to its want of readiness. Great injustice might be done to a Native school and its teacher by an examiner accustomed to use only the methods of questioning that are found to be serviceable in European schools. It is often the case that Native children who make a very poor attempt at answering the first two or three questions put to them at an examination succeed in the end in passing their examination very creditably. The same thing holds good of a whole school. The first impression that an examiner receives of a Native school is, generally, that the children know nothing. As the work proceeds, and the children get acquainted with the examiner, the latter discovers that his first-formed opinion has to be modified very considerably. It may be that in the end he will be fairly astonished to find that Maori children have

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such bright and subtle intellects. He may even doubt whether European children could have done better. Some such effect as this, is, lam inclined to think, not unfrequently produced in the minds of visitors to the schools marked I. or 11. in the column headed "Efficiency of Schools," in Table 111. in the Appendix. Methods. The methods formerly used in Native schools were what are now considered old-fashioned. The work of the teacher consisted mainly in testing work that had been done by his pupils. But few attempts seem to have been made to lead pupils, step by step, from what is simple and easy to what is complex and difficult. The necessity for making sure that every elementary fact or principle is firmly grasped by the pupil before any combination of, or deduction from, such facts or principles is attempted, was but imperfectly recognized. Teachers, in effect, said to their pupils, " Go and find out how to do this," rather than " Come and let us find out how this should be done." The consequence was that while clever children sometimes succeeded in mastering many difficulties, and in getting for themselves a certain amount of education, those of average or inferior ability learnt little or nothing. The methods formerly in use were in the majority of cases as follows : In a reading lesson the teacher would listen to a boy's reading, carefully correct his mistakes, and, after the reading was over, question him about the meanings of words in the lesson, and perhaps about the subject-matter. At tho writing lesson the pupil would write a copy, and the master would correct the mistakes made, and possibly reprimand or punish the pupil for making them, When teaching geography the master would ask the children to point out places on the map, to repeat names of natural features in their proper order, and perhaps would give them a lesson from some text-book, to be committed to memory and repeated the next day. Arithmetic lessons consisted mainly of more or less successful attempts on the part of children to master rules sufficiently to enable them to work perfectly straightforward questions in these'rules, assistance being given by the master as sparingly as possible. It appears to have been thought that the master's principal duty was to see that correct answers to questions had been obtained by legitimate means. When a boy had floundered through a " rule" in this fashion, he was supposed to know that rule and to have done with it for evermore. Masters have sometimes been surprised to find that boys who were in proportion or practice were quite unable to deal with such a simple question as "If you take 395 from 1,006, how many will remain?" The boys had been through all the rules in regular order, and their failure could be attributed only to some astounding and unaccountable mental defect of theirs; the real truth being, of course, that they had never been trained to understand the scope and object of any arithmetical process whatever. They had learned to perform certain operations mechanically, as it were, but had never had a chance of learning the true meaning of the work they had done. In English, the most important of the Native school subjects, there was seldom any systematic teaching whatever. Of course many of the masters used better methods than these while dealing with some of the subjects. In but few schools were all the subjects badly taught. In many cases the teachers had discovered very ingenious and effective methods of teaching certain things. But in nearly all the schools one or more of the branches appear to have been taught in the way that I have described. Collective teaching was little practised. The children were taught in classes, certainly, but attempts were seldom made to cause every child in a class to receive the full benefit derivable from all work done in it. The teaching was, in effect, individual teaching. In spite of the prevalence of these defective methods, many of the teachers, by sheer hard work, succeeded in making their pupils, at all events the cleverer ones, get on very fairly. With the aid of the more modern and effective methods that are now being gradually introduced, it may reasonably be expected that such teachers will, by-and-by, attain to a high standard of efficiency, and produce results not inferior to those obtained in the best European country schools. Instruction. The quantity and quality of the instruction given at the Native schools may be best estimated by means of a comparison of the Native School Standards with the pass statistics, in Table 111. of the Appendix. It will be seen that only thirteen pupils have passed Standard IV., while seventy have succeeded in reaching Standard 111. As a matter of fact, only one school has passed in all four standards in such a way as to satisfy the requirements of the Native School Code, and entitle the teacher to a bonus for each standard. 412 children succeeded in passing Standard 1., while 195 reached Standard 11. This shows that there is a sufficiency of good material for the teachers to work on ; and there can be no doubt that they will make use of it by qualifying a large number of children for the higher standards before the end of next year. The standard examinations at the various schools show that a few remarks are needed on the teaching of each of the subjects that form part of the Native-school course. It is, of course, not to be supposed that every master needs to be prompted with reference to all the points treated of, for some of them are very elementary, but I think that every Native school teacher may very possibly find something in these remarks that will assist him in carrying on his work successfully. English.—English is the most important, and, at the same time, the most difficult subject that the Native school teacher has to deal with. The master's success in teaching this subject

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depends almost entirely on whether he makes a good start or a bad one. It should always be remembered that the younger Maori children are, the more flexible are theii' organs of speech. A child of six or seven years of age may easily be taught to pronounce English almost faultlessly. A lad beginning to learn the tongue at the age of fourteen will always pronounce it with a strong Maori accent, even if he should learn to speak it fluently. Hence a teacher can hardly bestow too much pains on his youngest class. He should never allow himself to think that a fairish pronunciation of words will do for the First Standard, and that, by-and-by, when the little ones get into a higher class, he will be able to make them pronounce English really well. It is indeed a case of " now or never." As the children grow older, he will find it impossible to improve their articulation at all, without bestowing as much time and patience upon it to produce a small result as would have made their pronunciation nearly perfect when the children were younger. When a teacher is satisfied that his children can pronounce English words correctly, and that they are capable of being taught to understand the meaning of easy pieces of English poetry, he will find them derive much benefit from learning to recite such pieces simultaneously in classes. The practice of singing easy English songs is also beneficial, if the children are made to pronounce every word very distinctly. The teacher will, of course, remember that every word so learnt will continue to be a part of the child's stock of vocables, and that any trouble expended on making the pronunciation of such words really good is well expended. For the rest, the First Standard English is generally well taught—sometimes exceedingly well. There is one point, however, that seems to have been very commonly overlooked. Children to pass Standard I. must be able to give the plural of nouns in common use. It is only occasionally that pupils of a school have been found able to give the plural of such nouns as pen, nose, man, child. At one or two places in the North this difficulty has been entirely overcome. In most of the other northern schools it seems to have been regarded as insuperable. This difficulty is to be overcome by training the children to recognise the difference between such words as pen — pens, nose — noses, man — men, pronounced very slowly and distinctly; by making them distinguish the same words when written on the black-board in script or print characters; and, by causing them to read such words till they can do it without making mistakes. When the difficulty of distinguishing and pronouncing the words has been got over, one or more pens, pencils, or boxes should be placed in view of the whole class, and the children should be made to say '.' one pen, two pens, three pens," &c., as the case may be. Similar methods will enable the children to distinguish between / and you; he, she, it, and they, for Standard II.; and between this, that, these, and those, or all, many, few, every, for Standard 111. The meanings of short and easy sentences as required for Standard 11. may be best taught in connection with the reading lessons. This part of the school-work is tested by means of Maori words which the children have to translate into English, and very easy English sentences which they have to translate into Maori. When children thoroughly know the meaning of an English sentence they find no difficulty in rendering it into Maori. In teaching English composition for Standard 111., the teacher, if he know a little Maori, will find it highly advantageous to write a few easy Maori sentences on the black-board, and then, in concert with the class, write down the English translation below. Each pupil should be made to copy this translation on his slate as it is finished. When the sentences have been all dealt with in this way, the slate work should be examined and corrected. Then the slates should be cleaned, and the pupils should be required to write on paper the translation of the sentences without any assistance. To prepare them for the English of Standard IV., the pupils should be well practised in framing such sentences as: "I see the boy now;" "I saw the girl yesterday;" "I shall see Henry to-morrow;" "I may see Mary if Igo to town." Such work, if thoroughly well done, will enable children, without any further special training, to translate such Maori expressions as " Kua kite ahau;" "E kore ahau e kite," &c. Their ability to do this will show that they possess the knowledge required for the standard. The English composition of Standard IV. presents more difficulty than any other part of the Native-school work. The difficulty may be overcome in some such way as this : Let the teacher select a short fable, say, " The Fox and the Grapes," and read it to the class till he is quite sure that all have grasped the meaning of the story. He will then get the pupils to name, in proper order, the words that stand for the leading ideas in the fabls. These words should be written on the blackboard in some convenient way, e.g., "fox, travelling—weather, hot—heat, thirsty—saw, grapes," &c. The pupils should then be got to frame sentences containing these leading words :"A fox had been travelling all day. The weather had been very hot. The heat had made the fox extremely thirsty. He saw some fine grapes hanging on a vine," &c. When the class have gone over this work together, each pupil should be made to write out the story without assistance. The pupils should be trained from the first to make their sentences very short. They will thus get into the way of writing clearly, if not very elegantly. A few months' practice at this kind of work will fit the children for beginning to write short letters. Pupils should be taught to date and address letters correctly. They should be made to write only about subjects that they are thoroughly familiar with; and great care should be taken to prevent them from getting into the habit of making long, straggling sentences. In some of the schools in the far north the elder children keep diaries. When pupils are far enough advanced to do that sort of thing well, it affords them excellent practice in composition to make a daily record of what has occurred in the school or in the village.

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8

Reading.—The " look and say " method, or reading without spelling, produces far better results than any other when Maori children have to be taught to read. Of course the reading lessons have to be supplemented by separate spelling lessons. Teachers are successful in teaching reading just in so far as they show their pupils how to read properly, and insist on their imitating exactly the examples set before them. During a reading lesson a teacher should never consider a sentence or a paragraph as done with until it has been read by the class in the way that he himself has read it for their imitation—that is, of course, when a lesson in what may be called elocutionary reading is being given. And, generally, the teacher will find it highly advantageous to make his reading lessons partake of the character of singing or drawing lessons as far as possible—to present models for the imitation of the children, and to cause these models to be imitated as closely as may be. As a rule, it will be found convenient to keep instruction in " elocution " separate from instruction in "comprehension." Half of the time devoted to a reading lesson might be given to each of these branches. It is generally advantageous to make the comprehension precede the elocution, In ma ay of our schools comprehension is very well taught,—in some, so well that there is really nothing more to be desired in this respect. Spelling.—This subject should always be taught separately. If too many things are introduced into the reading lesson, sufficient attention cannot be paid to the elocution and the comprehension. Spelling may be well taught from the black-board. The teacher should write words in print or script characters, and the children should be required to copy, spell, and pronounce these words as they are written down. Towards the conclusion of the exercise the knowledge of the children should be tested, by means of words given them to spell orally or on their slates. As soon as the children can write fairly on slates great use should be made of the exercise called transcription. If great neatness and absolute correctness in the work are insisted upon, this is one of the most valuable of school exercises. By means of it children improve their writing, learn to spell, and gradually acquire a useful stock of words and phrases. Dictation may be occasionally given, but the piece dictated should have have been previously prepared by the children, unless, indeed, the teacher merely wishes to test the spelling of a class. This testing, however, should not be done too often, as a pupil will often repeat a mistake that he has once made in writing a word, in spite of the most careful attempts of the teacher to efface the wrong impression. Writing.—This subject is but seldom taught in schools. Copy-books with engraved headlines are set before the children, who are required to write beneath them the same words or letters as arc contained in the head-lines. The children are generally left to do the best they can according to their light, which is necessarily limited. The duty of the teacher is, as a rule, thought to be confined to criticizing the pupils' performances. It would-be well if all teachers would give their children the amount and kind of assistance recommended by Vere Foster. Excellent directions for teaching writing will be found on his copy-books. The teacher cannot do better than follow these directions closely. The junior class should be taught to write on slates in the same way as they will afterwards have to write in copy-books. In many schools children are allowed at first to write anyhow. When this is the case, habits are contracted which have afterwards to be corrected. There is thus caused an expenditure of time and trouble that might easily have been avoided. Nearly all Maori children have great natural aptitude for writing and drawing. When the writing of a school is bad it is almost certain that the master of the school has neglected this very important part of his work. Arithmetic —The formal slate work at Native schools is nearly always good. It is not unusual to find all the sums set for a class under examination in Standard 11. or Standard 111., done by the. whole class without a single mistake. This is of course very satisfactory. Nevertheless, there is1 much room for improvement in the teaching of this subject. It often becomes manifest, in the course of an examination, that children who have shown themselves able to work formal set sums in the first four rules with absolute correctness have no clear idea of the nature of the operations they have been performing. For instance, children that can work correctly a difficult set sum in subtraction, would be utterly puzzled by such a question as " How many sheep would remain, if 398 were taken from a flock containing 1,407?" or even by such a one as "There are 90 sheep in the paddock, 304 outside, and 22 in the stock-yard : how many are there in all ?" Their perplexity would not arise from their being unable to understand the terms in which the questions are stated, but from their not really understanding in the smallest degree the uses of addition and subtraction. To correct this sort of thing, all that is required is that the teacher should give his pupils a great deal of practice in working extremely easy problems on the black-board. If this practice be preceded and supplemented by questions to be worked mentally, the children will soon get to understand the nature and use of the work they are doing on their slates. They will then not only be provided with tools, but they will have been taught how to use them. Much improvement is needed in " tables," and in the formal mental arithmetic of Native schools. It is only occasionally that Second-Standard children are sufficiently versed in the tables to be able to answer questions on them smartly. This is especially the case with the subtraction tables. Many teachers seem to think that while it is necessary that pupils should be taught the multiplication tables, the information contained in the addition and subtraction tables comes to them by

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Hature. This is very far from being the case. Many a break-down of a Native school in arithmetic has been owing to imperfect instruction in these two important tables. Young children should be taught by the aid of the ball-frame to comprehend the nature of addition and subtraction, and then they should learn the tables by heart, and learn them thoroughly. In teaching the Third Standard mental arithmetic, the teacher will* do well to begin by setting easy questions on the black-board, such as 13 + B+l9, 37 — 16, 18x8, 157-4-7, and requiring the pupils to work them mentally. They will soon be able to work such questions without the aid of the eye, and consequently to satisfy the requirements of Standard 111. Teachers preparing pupils for the arithmetic of Standard IV. should give them as much black-board work (with oral explanations) as possible. It would take a very clever child indeed to find out the way to pass in the " reduction" and " easy problems" of this standard by merely poring over an arithmetic book; but with skilful and judicious teaching, a pupil that has passed Standard 111. may easily be prepared for Standard IV. in less than a year. In a few schools the mental arithmetic is surprisingly good. This, of course, shows that where a school fails in the subject the teaching has been defective in some way. Grammar. —Formal grammar is not taught in our schools. The standards, however, are so framed that children are required to learn a good deal of what may be called practical grammar to enable them to pass in English. For instance, Standard I. pupils must be able to give the plurals of nouns. To pass Standard 11. a child must be acquainted with the different forms of the personal pronouns, and with most of the distinctions of gender. For Standard 111. pupils must have a knowledge of the inflections of such words as this and that, of case inflections, and of the comparison of adjectives. Standard IV. requires that children be practically familiar with the mood- and tense-forms of verbs, and the more elementary syntactical concords and governments. - The fact is that, through their having had to learn a foreign language in our schools, Maori children that have passed through all the standards have had a better and more practical linguistic and grammatical training than can possibly have been obtained by well educated European children that have learnt no language but their own. It seems to me that a Maori child who knows that the English words, "The men have all gone away," mean "Kua haere atu nga tangata katoa," while the words, "The man will go away," mean "E haere atu te tangata," must, as far as a real knowledge of grammar is concerned, have the advantage over the European child that can merely parse and analyse such sentences correctly. The Maori, though he has never heard the words present-perfect, future, singular, and plural used in their technical sense, will probably have grasped the ideas that underlie these words, and that very completely. Possibly, too, he will have clothed them unconsciously in a technical language of his own. The European boy will have acquired a greater familiarity with grammatical terms and their application, and with the theory of the classification of words; but he will not have that clear apprehension of the facts of grammar which necessarily springs from daily exercise in the process of translation from one language into another. In other words, the European boy may thoroughly understand the relations that subsist between words as they occur in sentences; the Maori boy must understand them. Teachers might, however, in teaching English, smooth the way for their pupils to a considerable extent by making them do such grammatical work as is involved in drawing up tables showing the numbers and the genders of nouns, the comparison of adjectives, the declension of pronouns, the present, past, and past participles of verbs, and so on. It is, however, neither necessary nor advisable to burden the children's minds with technical grammatical terms. Geography.—This subject is in general fairly taught. The only remark that requires to be made about it is that children, to pass Standard 11. in geography, must know the definitions thoroughly. It is not sufficient that a child should be able to repeat these parrot-fashion. He must be able to show that he has formed a clear mental conception of the characteristics of each geographical feature that he is called upon to define. Sewing.—Only moderate proficiency in needlework is required for passing the standards. This is not always forthcoming. Teachers should remember that children, in order that they may pass a certain standard, are required to show that they know how to do certain kinds of work, and not to bring forward proof of their having made this, that, or the other gorgeous fancy article. For instance, a Third-Standard girl is required to stitch. The production, by the mistress, of an antimacassar, or even of a picture in wools, properly framed and glazed, and the bond fide work of the girl, is no proof that the girl is up to the work of Standard 111. For Standard 11. it is desirable that girls should be able to do felling in two ways: namely, that called running and felling, and that called over-sewing and felling. The latter is not often required, but experts say that girls ought certainly to know how to do it. In many of the schools the sewing is admirably done. The quality of the sewing, as a rule, depends on the amount of interest the sewing mistress takes in her work. The code regulation that provides for the supply of sewing material to Native schools is, in most districts, working well. Some of the mistresses, however, have made a mistake in supposing that the object of the department in sending this material to schools is to enable the Natives to purchase articles of clothing at a low price; the real intention being, of course, to give the pupils an opportunity of learning to sew well and to make all sorts of ordinary articles of clothing for themselves. In one or two cases teachers have not adhered to the terms of that part of the rule (VI., 1, Native Schools Code) that refers to the disposal of the things that have been made in 2—E. 7.

ii.—7.

10

the school. The rule says that such articles are to be sold to the Maoris for cash. The teachers referred to have sold things to the Natives on credit. This should in no case be done, as it establishes the relation of debtor and creditor between the parents and the teacher, and often leads to serious complications. Of course the outlay that was required to provide a first stock of material'at the different schools will not have to be repeated. The stock will be replenished from the proceeds of the sales of the goods already on hand. Assistance given by Resident Magistrates and Local Officers. It is gratifying to note that the Education Department has been able to obtain the benefit of the services, formerly rendered to the Native Department, of several Resident Magistrates and Native Officers that take an active and generous interest in the Maori race. Were it not for the pioneer work formerly done by these gentlemen, and for the valuable assistance they are now always ready to give, the task of bringing the Native schools into a thoroughly satisfactory condition would be indeed a formidable one. Committees. In many districts the Committees are indefatigable in their endeavours to maintain a good attendance at their schools, and take the greatest interest in the progress of their children. As a rule it may be said that where there is a good Committee a good school is certain to be found. The converse of this proposition does not hold good, however. In some districts where the Committees take little active interest in the schools, the masters, by their energy and perseverance, manage to make their schools successful. Active Committees are to be found, as a rule, in districts where the Natives, through long intercourse with Europeans anxious for their welfare, have imbibed European ideas and have become desirous of giving their children the same educational advantages as Europeans are accustomed to receive. In not a few cases excellent Committees are to be found in districts that are under the influence of enlightened and far-seeing chiefs, who are able to see clearly that the future well-being of their people must depend entirely on the fitness of the rising generation of Maoris to cope with Europeans, and are wise enough to understand that, unless they receive a fair education, the Natives can hardly hope to be successful in holding their own. In some few districts the Maoris are so careless about the education of their children that they cannot be got to form Committees because they do not receive payment for their work. This feeling exists only where the Natives are not sufficiently intelligent to understand that, if they allow other tribes to outstrip them in educational progress, they must be prepared to fall behind in all matters. On the whole, however, the Natives display a very encouraging amount of interest in the education of their children. In proof of this, I may draw attention to the readiness with which Natives show themselves willing, when they can do it without actually depriving themselves of the means of living, to make over the school-site that the Government always requires from them as a guarantee of their good faith, and of their real desire to have and maintain a school in their kainga. Considering the tenacity with which a Maori clings to his land, even the smallest piece of it, we may conclude that the Natives generally are really alive to the importance of education, and are prepared to make sacrifices to obtain its benefits for their children. BOARDING-SCHOOLS. These schools have all been visited (once, twice, or oftener) during the course of the year. Without exception they are doing good work, and often produce highly beneficial results as far as the children educated in them are concerned. At the same time it seems probable that the education of the Maoris will have to be clone mainly by the village schools. A good village school (and there are many that deserve to be so called) benefits the whole neighbourhood in which it is located. By its means the Natives of a district become used to European ways, and gradually, and almost insensibly, adopt useful European ideas. Without losing their own better characteristics, or becoming demoralised in any way, they become fitted to pass, without injury to themselves, through the crisis that must come sooner or later when they are brought into complete contact with considerable European communities, and have to compete with them. On the other hand, the boarding-schools can, from the nature of things, deal only with individuals. Children have been sent to these schools, and have remained there perhaps seven or eight years. In such cases they receive a good education, and then return to their kaingas. For a while they strive to live as they have been accustomed to live during their residence at school, but the thing is not to be done, the genius of the place is too strong for them; they cannot go on living in the village with the feeling that they are out of harmony with their own people, and they end by becoming more Maori than they would have been if they had never gone to such an institution at all. There are, of course, striking exceptions, but this is what happens in perhaps a majority of instances; and, in any case, the good is done to the individual child alone. No effect is produced on the Maoris as a whole. The true use of the boarding-school is to give clever Maori children that have gone through the village school-course the chance of pursuing their studies somewhat further than the village school arrangements can conveniently allow them to do. A boy that has passed Standard IV. is able to read at sight any easy English book, with only a slight foreign pronunciation. He understands the meaning of nearly every word that he

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reads, and would be able, after reading a page of the book, to reproduce the substance of it either in his own language or in English. He is able to take part in a conversation on any ordinary subject without making serious mistakes. His writing is neat and legible, and probably considerably better than the average handwriting of Europeans. He can write a very fair English letter, with here and there a Maori idiom, but containing very few downright blunders. He has a thoroughly practical understanding of the elementary arithmetical rules, including reduction, and is able to apply them to the solution of such problems as he would be likely to meet with in ordinary business. His attainments in arithmetic, though not extensive, are thoroughly sound as far as they go, and should he have the opportunity of pursuing his studies his progress would be very rapid. He has also a fair knowledge of general geography, and is thoroughly familiar wdth the geography of New Zealand. It is most likely, too, that he can sing, and that he has some elementary knowledge of drawing. A Maori girl that has passed Standard IV. has nearly the same amount and kind of knowledge as that possessed by the Maori boy. Her composition and arithmetic, and especially her mental arithmetic, would probably be not quite equal to the boy's, but she would be able to do all kinds of ordinary sewing very neatly, to darn stockings, and to knit. It is perhaps desirable that, for some time to come, until, in fact, passes in this standard become numerous, all children passing Standard IV. should, if their friends do not object to their doing so, get the benefit of one or two years' residence at a boarding-school, where they would be able to make further progress in English composition and in arithmetic, and receive a certain amount of instruction in one or two other subjects that would take up too much of the teachers' time if they were taught in the village schools. In no case, however, should the residence of pupils at these institutions be prolonged beyond a couple of years. At the end of such a period they would be educated Maoris, able and probably willing to do much good among their own people, to whom they should always return. If an attempt is made to Europeanize them thoroughly, and to separate them from their relatives, the result will probably be that they will eventually become either strong reactionists, or a sort of Maori-Pakeha, " neither flesh, fowl, nor good red-herring." It would be useless to enlarge upon these principles more fully, as they are now recognised and acted upon by the department. That the Maoris will ultimately become Europeanized and be absorbed into the general population does not admit of doubt. It is easy to see that the process has already commenced, and that it is going on with more or less rapidity in most parts of New Zealand. But it is a great mistake to suppose that the change is one that can be effected in a year or two, or even in a generation—to suppose that schools or any other agency can bring about in a short time such a revolution as has in other countries required centuries to complete. The Native schools are doing and will do much good; it is useless to expect that they will, in a few years, change the character of a whole race to such an extent that its members will be prepared to abandon all their old habits, traditions, prejudices, and modes of living. Nor is it at all plain that it is desirable that such an utter change should be brought about hastily, even if the thing were possible. Past experience seems to show that uncivilised peoples cannot, without imminent risk of extermination, give up their old ways of life all at once and adopt others, for which they can be fitted only by slow and gradual changes in the conditions, subjective and objective, under which they exist. If, as I believe,it can be shown that the Native schools as a whole are effecting considerable improvements in the mental, moral, and physical condition of our Maori fellow-subjects, and that they are having the effect of familiarising them with the better class of European ideas and customs, — then they are doing all that can be or ought to be expected from them. There are a few exceptions, but in the great majority of the Maori districts those best qualified to judge say that this is just the kind of work that the schools are doing, and that they are the best means yet contrived for helping the Maoris to help themselves. It is satisfactory to have to record that a considerable increase in the attendance took place during the year 1880, and that notwithstanding a decrease in the number of schools. The average for the December quarter of 1879 was 1,042, while for the corresponding quarter of 1880 the average attendance was 1,277. I have, fee.. The Inspector-General of Schools. James H. Pope.

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TABLE No. 1. LIST of the Native Village Schools, Boarding Schools, and other Schools attended by Native Children, maintained by or receiving Aid from the Government of New Zealand, with the Expenditure on each and on General Management during the Year 1880, and the Names, Status, and Emoluments of the Teachers as in December, 1880.

ie e< m in hoo] ., m< !ma .ssisl Expenditure dveing 1830. ! . I Teachers of Village Schools at the Close of the Year; Position in the School. Bate of Salary at the end of the Tear. County or Borough. School. and Allo^Lees B__**^ J-_*3^__* Instruction. Food Allowances. ; ,__£__ General School Requisites, Travelling, and Contingencies. Eemarks. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. 326 63 15 o £ Mongonui Parengarenga Awanui ... IS9 18 4 Matthews, E. W. D. ... Matthews, Mrs. Dunn, E, H. Dunn, Mrs. Simpson, J. P. Puhipi, Mrs. Marsh, M. Masters, CM. Masters, Miss Masters, Mrs. Capper, J. F. Capper, Mrs. Matthews, S. Parker, J. E. C. Parker, Mrs. M M S M AF P M AF S M S P M S 140 20 Xot open during year. Kaitaia ... 143 IS ° 3 10 o ™ 3 3 130 20 120 3S 5 170 20 20 160 Ahipara ... n8 io io 206 9 9 512 o Pukepoto 206 5 o 47 4 o 23 1 1 Hokianga Peria ... ... ... Te Ngaere Hikutaia ... Waihou Lower 186 o io 140 o o 143 15 ° o 16 6 300 250 o o 922 31 S 6 '9 13 9 Comes, E. C. Cornes, Mrs. Phillips, Gr.W. Phillips, Mrs. Hill, C. P. Hill, Mrs. Harrison, J. Harrison, Mrs. Mitchell, J. Mitchell, Miss Mitchell, Mrs. M M M M M AF S 20 5 120 20 130 20 120 20 140 20 Public school. Waihou Upper 122 IO o 19 4 4 Waitapu ... 158 6 8 3 18 11 217 Bay of Islands Eakau Para (Orira) Whirinaki Waima Pakia ... ... ... 147 10 o 177 IO o 65 o o 143 15 o 600 '5 3 o 18 2 n 8 14 10 7 13 9 130 20 140 20 20 Closed March quarter. Closed December quarter. Mangakahia 158 6 8 29 13 o 8 7 2 Woods, C. E. Woods, Mrs. Calkin, S. Calkin, Mrs. Hickson, Mrs Tabuteau, E. M. Watling, Mrs. ' M M S F M F 130 20 140 20 Closed December quarter. Paihia Oromahoe Ohaeawai Taumarere (Mrs. Tautari's) ... Waiomio ... no 8 4 124 11 8 '77 5 ° 2 12 6 2 16 8 15 11 9 120 no 130 130 493 o o Boarding school. Closed September quarter. 132 IO o

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Hobson ... Waikare (Waihaha) __aihu ... ... Matakohe no 8 4 105 1 8 *43 "S ° 10 18 o - 15 6 5 11 6 Horsley, Mrs. F M M M M S no 130 20 150 20 Closed March quarter. Rodney ... Whangarei Otamatea Ngunguru 162 18 4 "4 3 4 17 14 o 24 10 10 Ovens, J. Ovens, Mrs. Haszard, R. Haszara, Mrs. Mason, A. H. • Mason, Mrs. Grace, J. M. Grace, Mrs. 120 Openea March quarter. Poroti 116 16 8 15 18 4 20 Eden ... 37 19 3 120 20 Orakei St. Mary's (R. C. Girls') ... St. Stephen's (Ch. Eng. Boys') Taupiri ... Ear ikariki Kawhia ... Tauranga Maketu ... 115 00 *54 *8 3 977 18 11 25 o o 24 11 5 50 o o 169 9 7 III o 4 8 1 Closed September quarter. Boaraing school. Parnell [B] Baglan ... 40 o o 120 16 8 600 1726 1 18 9 1 18 9 Closed June quarter. Closea December quarter. Hooper, Mrs. F 100 Tauranga 45 o 8 3° 8 o 11 18 2 4 S 6 Boarding establishment. Chi-i-ren attena public school. Roto-iti ... Te Awahou (Puhirua) *34 3 4 I 124 11 8 *43 *5 o 605 6 12 5 Pinker, A. Pinker, Mrs. Wood, J. J. Robinson, J. T. Robinson, Mrs. Creeke, W. Creeke, Mrs. Haszard, C. A. Haszard, Mrs. Masters, G. Masters, Mrs. Parker, S. A. Parker, Mrs. Avent, J. M M M M M M AE M M 120 20 130 "3° 20 160 20 160 Ohinemutu 172 10 o 290 1 5 39 8 6 Tarawera (Te Wairoa) 177 100, S3 "4 6 1 13 6 Subsidisea school. Public school. Whakatane Matata Whakatane ... 152 2 6 '53 6 8 8 5 o 25 19 3 22 2 3 20 *5° 35 140 20 60 Waiotahi... Opotiki ... Torere 57 10 o i43 *S ° S 8 o 3 9 ,0 o 17 6 25 10 2 Grahame, J. L. Grahame, Mrs. Hill, R. Hill, Mrs. Levert, E. Levert, Mrs. McMahon, M. J. McMahon, Mrs. Green, E. A. Green, Mrs. Browne, W. F. Browne, Mrs. Warner, R. Warner, Mrs. Stewart, R. O. M M M M M M M M *3° 20 140 20 Omaio 158 6 8 35 S 6 4 16 3 Cook TeKaha ... Kawakawa '43 *5 ° 121 5 o 70 12 9 4 4 1 130 20 130 20 160 Closea December quarter. Waiomatatini 177 IO o 26 8 9 1 5 o Akuaku ... 177 10 o 3 IS 9 20 160 Tokomaru *43 *S o 82 19 6 4 4 3 20 -30 20 140 Tolago Bay TeArai ... Wairoa (Waihirere) 142 10 o 62 10 o 143 *S o 42 18 o 20 1 3 Public school —subBidisea. Wairoa ... 6 "1'. 8 McRoberts, R. E. McRoberts, Miss M S -30 20 Hawke's Bay St. Joseph's (R. C. Girls') ... St. Mary's (R. C. Boys') Te Aute College .„ Protestant Girls' ... 78a 4 1 394 3 4 200 o o 3 17 9 3 17 9 Boaraing school. M JJ 400 o o sj

E.—7.

TABLE No. 1— continued. LIST of the Native Village Schools, Boarding Schools, and other Schools, &c.

14

Expenditure during 1880. General School Requisites, Travelling, and Contingencies. Teachers of Village Schools at the close of the Year. Position in the School. Rate of Salary at the end of the Year. County or Borough. School. Salaries and Allowances for Instruction. Buildings, Repairs, Fencing, and Furniture. Remarks. Boarding-school Charges and Food Allowances. Wellington [B] ... St. Joseph's (R. C. Girls') ... Marlborough ... Waikawa £ s. d. £ s. d. 54 i 3 £ s. d. £ s. d. £ Boarding school. 162 18 4 23 16 9 ... _ 13 12 8 Nick-ess, H. W. Nickless, Mrs. Hosking, J. F. Hosking, Mrs. Danaher, T. J. Danaher, Mrs. Curtis, R. T. Curtis, Mrs. Reeves, H. J. Reeves, Mrs. Herlihy, P. Herlihy, Mrs. Curling, J. Hamilton, A. G. Glynan, Miss M. Moloney, M. Moloney, Mrs. Lucas, W. S. Dick, Mrs. M S M M M M M M M M S '5° 20 Wairau ... 59 15 10 31 16 3 55 10 120 20 10 ■) Same salaries from Native Rej serves f unas. Openea March quarter. Kaikoura ... Mangamaunu 134 3 4 8 15 o 18 o 9 Westlana ,., Arahura ... ... ... 71 17 6 7 Closea December quarter, j Same salaries from Native Reserves .unas. Ashley ... ... Kaiapoi ... 143 '5 ° 8 3 6 10 17 5 130 20 130 20 Akaroa ... ... Rapaki i43 iS ° 39 3 9 15 18 S Little River (Wairewa) Onuku 124 11 8 130 11 3 44 13 2 270 21 13 1 130 120 20 160 " Opened March quarter. Waikouaiti .,, Waikouaiti 180 8 4 56 7 6 1620 Peninsula ... Otago Heads 8 19 4 20 207 o o 200 16 Public school —subsidised. Taieri ... ... Taieri Ferry Clutha ... ... Port Molyneux Wallace... ... Riverton ... Stewart Island ... Ruapuke ... The Neck 20 12 6 118 00 115 o o 30 o o 115 o o 310 2 6 42 19 4 18 18 10 11 9 8 250 Jones, Miss Ireland, J. Wohlers, Rev. J. F. H. Traill, A. W. Traill, Mrs. F M M S 120 120 Subsidisea. ... 53 o o 4 16 6 40 100 20 Educating and apprenticing sons and daughters of Native chiefs Salaries and clerical work (departmental) ... Inspection General school requisites ana sundries 7,932 7 11 3,728 6 10 1,908 19 9 715 S S 7,686 i5 6 7 4 549 " 6 1,037 15 7 32 16 8 24 15 2 327 IS 6 484 5 8 ... Totals 1 8,638 6 9 4,766 2 5 1,933 14 11 1,560 3 3

E.-7.

TABLE No. 2. List of the Native Village Schools, with the Attendance of the Pupils for the Year 1880, and the Staff at the End of the Year.

15

'** In the column " Staff at End of Year," '., means Master; F, Female Mistress. 'eacl ier 'einal Lssisi 'upil ieac] ier; >ewing School Eoll. Averi ige Attendance. Schools. Staff at End of Year. if £.3-3 II fr* *| |J 11 9tj i I "I a tat Strict Average. Fourth Quarter. "Working Avers ige. Fourth Quarter. Whole Year. Whole Year. Boys. I Girls. Total. Awanui Kaitaia Ahipara Pukepoto ... Peria Te Ngaere... Lower Waihou* Upper Waihou Waitapu ... Eakau Para Whirinaki... Waimaf ... PakiaJ Mangakahia Paihia OromahoeJ Okaeawai .., Waiomio§ ... Waikare ... Kaihuf ... Matakoke ... Otamalea ... Ngunguni|| Poroti Orakei§ KarakarikiJ Maketu Eotoiti Te Awahou Ohinemutu MandS ... MandS ... M, A F, and P M, A F, and S M, S, and P... MandS MandS ... MandS ... MandS MandS ... M, A F, and S 28 15 36 44 33 24 18 20 51 26 4 26 29 25 6 32 9 17 8 33 13 5 13 29 27 54 57 32 37 29 38 35 40 31 19 20 38 48 29 33 24 34 30 23 24 20-75 15-50 3725 40 27-25 20 24 33-25 30-75 21-75 23-50 7 12-50 20-25 12 7-75 20-75 10-50 27-50 4 22-25 15-75 16 13 10 11-25 21-25 2025 1050 25-50 23-75 48-75 28 23 24-75 22-50 20-75 6 3050 36-50 22-50 12 14 24-75 10-75 22-25 7 33-75 8-25 25 21 28-50 40-25 13-50 18 5 1825 16 11 22 29 16 16 13 21 14 36 15 5 9 18 19 18 17 11 13 16 9 9 21 20 40 48 29 33 24 34 30 25 24 22-75 15-50 38-75 41-50 27-50 20-25 24 33-75 31 22-75 2550 7 12-75 21-25 12-25 7-75 22-25 10-50 28-75 4 23 15-75 16 13-75 10 11-50 26-25 20-25 11-50 29 50 24-25 51-75 29-50 23 24-75 22-50 21-25 850 30-50 37 24-25 15 14-50 28-25 10-75 22-25 1 33-75 8-50 25-50 24 28-50 40-75 13-50 19 5 19 M and S ... MandS F ... M... F ... 21 40 36 45 14 15 25 16 15 34 14 35 4 43 15 1 31 7 2 7 4 2 8 11 28 23 14 1 25 H 7 9 18 10 4 25 12 16 22 14 6 61 21 14 59 12 7 35 11 6 7 7 14 17 10 25 27 24 3 4 6 4 14 2 3 17 8 7 2 14. 4 14 15 31 16 10 32 11 27 12 6 20 6 17 5 4 13 6 10 7 2 8 12 27 12 6 21 F ... "27 26 n L6 "27 MandS M and S ... M and S ... M and S 13 21 40 22 4 7 47 28 18 39 19 56 55 15 10 8 14 4 14 28 39 27 30 1 6 35 2 28 12 9 45 12 11 7 15 1 23 31 24 24 16 20 17 18 14 12 10 9 8 9 7 9 6 21 17 18 14 Tarawera ... Matata Whakatane Waiotahi ... Torere Oniaio Te Kaha ... KawakawaJ Waiomatatini^f Akuaku Tokomaru ... Tolago Bay Wairoa Waikawa ... Wairau MaBgamaunu| ArahuraJ ... Kaiapoi Little Eiyer Eapaki Ormku|[ Waikouaiti Otago Heads Port Molyneux Bivertou ... Euapuke ... The Neck ... F ... MandS M... M and S ... MandS ... MandS ... Mand AF... M and S M... MandS M and S ... M and S M and S ... M and S ... MandS ... MandS ... M... M and S ... MandS ... MandS ... MandS ... MandS MandS ... M MandS ... M and S ... MandS ... MandS F ... M... M... M and S 16 10 12 55 19 13 72 34; 39 I 26 21 27 28 22 18 45 29 25 19 18 35 14 13 41 26 17 52 41 88 46 25 31 29 29 8 42 47 39 19 24 33 16 29 8 43 17 30 28 39 I 46 18 27 5 32 9 20 18 17 18 25 55 33 24 30 24 24 5 33 46 26 9 15 23 15 26 7 38 13 28 21 32 41 14 19 4 22 9 17 14 9 17 11 32 17 17 21 16 16 4 26 26 14 5 JO 18 7 12 6 21 5 15 12 17 20 8 9 2 12 1 6 4 8 It 14 32 17 7 9 8 9 4 7 20 12 9 6 II 8 14 1 17 9 13 10 15 21 6 10 2 10 10 23 18 17 31 25 64 34 24 30 24 25 8 33 46 26 14 16 24 15 26 7 38 14 28 22 32 41 14 19 4 22 10 29 7 24 35 42 13 26 8 23 Totals 1,366 1,065 808 1,623 1,227 1,171-25 724 553 1,277 1,239-75 * Reopened at t Closed at em I Closed at en< beginning of Decei rl of Marcli quartet d of December qua mber quarter. rter. 1 Closed at end of Septem >pened during Marcli qi laster absent on leave ( Lber quarter. uarter. [luring 1 March quarter,

E.-7.

TABLE No. 3. Results of Inspection.

TABLE No. 4. Ages of the Children on the Books of the Native Village Schools at 31st December, 1880.

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Name of School. Failed to pass any Standard. Passes of Pupils Examined. I. II. III. IV. Classifica- Efficiency tion of of Teacher. School. Ke marks. Awanui Kaitaia Ahipara Pukepoto ... Peria re Ngaere ... Lower Waihou Upper Waihou Waitapu ... Rakau Para Whirinaki ... Pakia Mangakahia Paihia Dromahoe ... Dhaeawai ... Waikare Matakohe ... Dtamatea ... 16 10 10 16 13 27 16 16 14 20 11 5 11 10 6 5 12 9 7 9 11 13 11 9 5 3 9 3 1 10 11 11 8 7 2 3 9 3 8 8 25 7 12 12 14 5 12 4 10 ' 12 7 2 4 7 3 8 3 8 ; 3 3 9 4 2 5 "i 7 4 i 2 1 1 1 IV. in. IV. in. in. v. IV. IV. in. in. IV. IV. IV. IV. III. II. III. II. II. IV. IV. III. III. III. III. III. III. IV. Very high percentage. Very active Committee here. New teacher. School had been closed. i l 4 i 1 High percentage obtained. Large proportion of young children. Average school-age of children high. Teacher removea to Fort Galatea. 6 12 12 5 9 17 3 10 14 25 9 23 22 15 12 9 16 15 IV. IV. IV. III. IV. V. IV. IV. IV. IV. III. IV. IV. IV. IV. III. III. II. III. IV. III. III. IV. V. IV. III. IV. V. III. IV. IV. IV. III. III. III. II. Closea. i l Not long openea. Not long opened ; new teacher. Attendance very irregular. Ngunguru ... Poroti VTaketu Rotoiti Ve Awahou 3hinemutu Parawera ... Matata Whakatane Waiotahi ... 1 2 3 2 Not long opened ; new master. Many young children here. 5 3 2 3 7 4 11 New teacher. Subsidised school. Many young children here. Porere Dmaio re Kaha ... Waiomatatini 2 "i Teacher removed to Waikouaiti; certificate awarded after examination. Natives apathetic. ikuaku lokomaru ... Folago Bay Wairoa Waikawa ... Wairau 24 26 9 6 7 5 13 20 11 10 11 11 11 4 4 11 7 12 11 2 5 9 2 1 "_ 1 7 4 9 5 1 1 3 1 IV. IV. IV. IV. III. V. IV. III. III. III. IV. IV. IV. IV. IV. III. IV. III. II. III. II. III. ,, Building unsuitable. Not long opened. Average age low. Vlangamaunu Kaiapoi Little River Rapaki Onuku '2 5 6 Very high percentage. There are many Europeans at this school. Teacher removed to Motukaraka. Waikouaiti Otago Heaas Port Molyneux Riverton ... 15 14 £ 11 17 5 7 6 3 2 2 2 8 3 1 "4 IV. III. IV. IV. III. I. III. IV. IV. III. Examined immediately after long vacation. Examined immediately after long vacation. HieNeck ... 6 5 4 4 1 Totals 412 195 70 13 630 Note. —The number of children presented, 690 pass children on the roll at the e children pri sed the first md of the y 'esented fo -. or some ] -ear, have >r examination Wf higher standard, passed at least oi is 81-33 p Thus, .; le of the ier cent, of 1 3-09 per cenl Native Sch( the number t. of the nu >ol Standarc on the roll at the end of the year. Of the 1,320 imber presented, or 42*4,7 per cent, of the 1,623 is.

Boys. Girls. Total. Percentage. Jnder five years ■ive and under ten years ... 'en and under fifteen years .fteen years and upwards Totals 46 453 350 70 919 53 375 231 45 99 828 581 115 61 51 35-8 7-1 919 704 1,623 100

E.—7.

TABLE No. 5. Race of the Children attending the Native Village Schools on the 31st December, 1881.

Summary of the above Table.

By Authority: Geobgi Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lBBl. 3—E. 7.

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M !aori; tween laori am I'-casl te; i-cr.iv ie; iween f-casi :e am European; 3uropean. M and M Q. H. E Q and E. Totals. Schools. M. F. Total. M. F. Total. M. F. Total. M. P. Total. Awaimi Xaitaia Aliipara Pukepoto Peria To IVgaere Lower Wailiou Upper Waihou Waitapu Bakau Para ... Whirinaki ... Pakia (closed) Mangakahia Paihia. OromahoR (closed) Ohaeawai Waikare Matakolie Otamatea AT - Ngunguru Poroti ■ .:. Karikarild (closed) Maketu Eotoiti ... Te Awahou ... Oliinemutu ... Taraweni Matata Whakatane ... Waiotahi 15 13 26 30 17 15 13 12 15 13 19 17 5 6 21 10 17 13 11 7 4 18 19 9 20 .19 40 19 17 21 17 15 5 27 22 14 4 7 13 6 11 5 20 9 5 2 7 12 9 5 3 8 8 9 13 22 13 19 16 12 18 10 11 1 5 9 4 9 16 13 8 6 3 1 11 7 7 17 22 37 18 6 9 8 10 3 6 15 16 9 7 11 8 15 1 33 6 11 5 4 10 6 1 1 8 23 22 39 52 30 34 29 24 33 23 30 1 22 14 10 30 26 30 21 17 29 26 16 37 41 77 37 23 30 25 25 8 33 37 30 13 14 24 14 26 6 33 15 16 7 11 22 15 0 4 16 3 " 1 1 "3 1 1 4 3 5 2 1 1 3 4 1 2 1 2 3 5 1 1 '"4 1 ! ... 4 5 1 ! 2 1 6 3 "s 6 1 I 5 5 2 '"i 7 1 6 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 I 4 1 4 4 5 1 8 1 10 4 2 "l 2 3 2 5 3 6 5 10 5 1 2 10 1 17 1 10 4 1 2 1 1 3 5 5 2 9 "l 7 21 14 34 35 18 18 13 22 15 20 20 7 20 6 6 22 ; 11 18 14 I 13 10 10 25 19 10 29 19 44 25 18 22 20 18 5 33 27 20 15 19 \ 25 16 6 14 21 23 11 13 ,1 8 13 20 22 14 19 16 16 20 20 11 8 11 10 4 10 16 13 10 11 6 3 16 7 7 23 22 44. 21 9 9 11 3 9 20 19 12 9 14 9 16 1 18 14 11 ! 14 18 23 7 14 2 14 29 27 54 57 32 37 29 38 35 40 31 15 31 16 10 32 27 31 24 24 16 13 41 26 17 52 41 88 46 25 31 29 29 8 42 47 39 19 24 33 16 29 8 43 30 17 28 39 46 18 27 5 32 3 6 2 1 9 2 2 1 2 3 1 6 1 1 2 7 Torere Omaio TeKaha Kawakawa (closed) Waioiaatatini Akuaku Tokomaru Tolago Bay ... Wairoa Waikawa Wairau Mangamaunu Arahura (closed) Kaiapoi Eapaki Little River ... Onuku Waikouaiti ... Otago Heads Port Molyneux ■ Eiverton Ruapuke The Neck ... 1 1 1 2 "l 1 2 1 2 1 " 3 2 4 3 1 1 6 3 5 I 3 3 3 4 2 3 3 7 4 6 3 5 1 1 2 10 2 5 3 1 1 "2 1 7 4 1 1 2 "2 1 1 1 2 5 5 1 "6 1 "7 13 1 8 2 9 7 "l7 9 "l2 6 ; 9 2 3 9 5 6 1 1 1 2 21 11 15 3 4 1 6 "5 12 17 "6 4 10 4 Totals 707 534 1,241 77 79 ! 156 135 91 226 919 I I 704 1,623

Boys. Girls. Total. Percentage. tfaori, and between Maori and half-caste lalf-caste 3otween half-caste and European, and European 707 77 135 534 79 91 1,241 156 226 76-46 9-61 13-93 Totals 919 704 1,623 100-00