E.—2

8

and Maori quarter-castes, half-castes, and European quarter-castes and Europeans to the total number of children attending ; the percentages are 73'60, 8-85, and 17'55 respectively. There has been but little change since last year. Table No. 6 shows the examination results for the year. Of 2,5§1 on the roll at examination time, 1,638 were examined; of these, 781 failed to pass any standard, 68 passed Standard IV., 118 passed Standard 111., 286 passed Standard 11., and 377 passed Standard I. These figures give no account of boarding-school pupils. The highest examination percentage, 89-00, was gained by Waikouaiti; the next highest, 84-52, by The Neck, Stewart Island. Table No. 7 gives the inspection results, on which is based the "gross percentage." This number is intended to be an expression for the efficiency of each particular school in comparison with other schools. In general, a school that has a percentage over 60 is a satisfactory one; 70 is a high, and 80 an excellent, percentage. In 1889, nineteen schools gained over 70 per cent., and five of these gained over 80 per cent. The Oeganization and Discipline of Native Schools. In last year's report a considerable space was devoted to an elementary statement of the principles of the art of teaching in Maori schools. For reasons similar to those assigned in connection with that report an attempt will be made to give a few useful hints with regard to the organization of Native schools, and a short description will be added of the discipline that is needed in order that the organization and methods may be not merely formal but instinct with life and vigour, and so productive of really satisfactory results. Difficulties in the way of the organization and discipline of a school tend, in a very considerable degree, to disappear as the number of teachers increases ; it will be sufficient, therefore, to deal here with the case in which a Native-school staff consists of a master with a sewing mistress who helps him on three afternoons of the week. This is the most common as well as the most difficult of cases to deal with, and a teacher who can manage to get on under these circumstances is not likely to fail when he has more assistance. It is perhaps hardly necessary to say that the smallness of the space available makes it impossible to give more than a few brief statements, without much attempt at exposition of the grounds on which they are based. It should be added that the precepts are not intended to be complete directions for organizing a new school, but rather suggestions for improving a school that has been for some time in operation. Section A. — Organization. 1. Classification of Pupils. —Under a system in which standards are in use, classification takes care of itself in the main. There are, however, two exceptional cases. (1.) If a pupil through great weakness in a single subject fails to pass an examination a question may arise as to whether his teacher should promote that pupil or not. Should the subjects in which a pass has been obtained have been very well known it may be desirable that the pupil should be moved up ; but, generally, promotion should be the reward of success, not of failure. It commonly happens in cases of this kind that an additional year's work in a standard not only secures a good strong pass next year, but renders all the back work so sound that there is no further hitch in the pupil's school career, which otherwise would probably have consisted of a succession of hitches. The other exceptional case is when a totally illiterate child of twelve years of age or more joins the school and has to be classified. It seems hard to place such a child in the very lowest class ; but there is no help for it, in a Maori school at all events: the initial work cannot be made thoroughly sound except in that class, and, if it is unsound, all the after work will be nearly valueless. What has been said does not apply to well grown-up pupils who wish to attend a night-school and learn a little writing and arithmetic only. 2. Twofold Nature of the Teacher's Work. —The teacher should accustom himself to look upon his work at any given time as being divided into two corresponding parts—the teaching of a class or group of classes, and the supervision of the silent work that is being done by the rest of the school. Of course, the school and its work must, by means of careful dovetailing, be so arranged as to make this way of looking at things appropriate. Acting under the influence of this twofold aspect of a teacher's work, we easily find a criterion for determining the proper grouping of classes ; it is always easy to decide whether a certain class could advantageously be taught a certain subject along with another class, or ought rather to be doing silent work with the rest of the school. Of course, the more pupils you can profitably have under direct instruction the better it is for the school. But "grouping" may be serviceable even in the case of classes doing silent work. If exactly the same silent work can be made to serve for two classes it is plain that time may be saved by the teacher both in setting the work and in correcting it when the pupils have finished it. Teachers who do not recognise the fact that their duty has always the twofold nature referred to fall, if active and industrious, into the error of throwing all their energy into their class-work, thus losing a great part of the advantage obtainable from the consolidation, by means of silent work, of the knowledge which they have imparted to their pupils. On the other hand, a teacher who was inclined to take things as comfortably as possible would almost entirely depend on silent work, which would interfere less with his ease than active teaching would. By itself, however, silent work would utterly fail to prepare children either for examination or for the active business of life. 3. Class-ivork. —Although neither of the two kinds of work referred to should be neglected, it is with the class actually under instruction that by far the most important part of the work must be done. It is in class-work that method has full play—that the curiosity of the pupils is aroused, and that the resulting mental activity is beneficially controlled and directed towards the attainment of the desired results. The teacher, then, should spare no effort to make his claSs-work lively and taking ; the pupils' interest in the work should not be suffered to flag for a moment, and the attention that is all the while being given to the silent work should be aa little apparent as possible except to those who are doing that work ; they must feel that the master's eye is on them. Suitable oppor