8.—2.

10

intelligently, as a rule, and without being afraid of the sound of their own voices The extra subjects are well taught. Garden and grounds are not strikingly attractive. Wai-o-weka (examined sth June, 1900). —The garden and grounds are in excellent condition; much work has been done. The parents show considerably more attachment to the school than they did in former years; pupils and teachers too are in satisfactory accord. Last year there was a certain amount of disaster at Wai-o-weka through weakness in the reading of Standard I. This year the failure has been fully made up for, and the teachers appear to recognise that they have been benefited in every way by the apparent rigour. The examination brought capital work to light, and results were satisfactory to all concerned. Omarumutu (examined 4th June, 1900). —The methods in use at this school are highly meritorious. The teaching of English is very satisfactory. Generally, it may be said that weakness to any appreciable extent occurred only in arithmetic and handwriting. In the latter subject the pupils had worked with insufficient care ; in the former, the oral grounding had been insufficient. Mental arithmetic should form a vital part of every number lesson, and it should be accompanied by frequent blackboard illustration. On the whole, the results were very pleasing, and the school s a good one. Torere (examined 2nd June, 1900). —The results were very similar to those of the previous year; much of the work was decidedly good, some of it not so good. The senior geography and the dictation were very satisfactory. English was the weakest subject. Work seemed to be going along very smoothly. The teachers appeared to be fairly contented with their position, which, indeed, is well suited to the available teaching power. There is a large family of young children, and the master cannot reckon on very much assistance. Omaio (examined 30th May, 1900). —The following summary of results was written just after the examination : "There is good reason to expect very solid work next year. Through the frequent illness of the late master, Omaio School fell off considerably in many ways. A new beginning has been made with experienced teachers, and their first examination was far more successful than could have been reasonably expected." Ten weeks afterwards the following telegram had to be sent to the sorrowing people of Omaio : " Please convey to Whanau-a-panui an expression of the deep sympathy of the officers of the Education Department with reference to the late terrible drowning accident at the Motu River." This was in reply to a telegram from Paul Ngamoki, leading chief at Omaio : " Sixteen Omaio children with two elders were drowned through canoe capsizing at Motu." Thirteen of the sixteen children had been examined at the school, and three of them had passed. This was the very saddest catastrophe that has ever occurred in connection with Maori schools. It is needless to say that the school was greatly injured by the shock ; almost any other Maori school would have been ruined by it. Whanau-a-panui felt their misfortune bitterly, but they have also borne it very bravely. The indication is that the Motu ought to be bridged when funds are available ; it would, unfortunately, be a very expensive piece of work. Te Kaha (examined 29th May, 1900). —It was noted with much satisfaction that the master and his Committee are now on excellent terms one with the other. The work of the school is being carried on with great smoothness, and very satisfactory wisdom is being shown on both sides. The results indicated a very considerable advance since the previous year. The percentages were good, and the number of passes was creditable. It was very evident that much anxious care and very laborious work had been bestowed on the school by its teachers. Raukokore (examined 6th April, 1900), —At this remote school a remarkably tidy lot of children, all looking clean and wholesome, were present at examination. Very considerable and pleasing improvement was noticed in the work of the assistant, who appeared to have grasped since the previous year most of the ideas that underlie successful elementary teaching. At the previous examination the position of the school had appeared to be rather precarious, but this year the results gave much satisfaction, and also promise of future improvement. East Coast District. Wharekahika (examined 21st May, 1900).—The examination of this school proved to be the last of a very satisfactory series of East Coast Maori school examinations; not one of these schools has done less than might have been fairly expected; most of them, including Wharekahika, have done a great deal more. The parents here turned out in force to see the examination, and snowed much satisfaction with the success of their children. The latter also were much interested in their work. Te Araroa (examined Saturday, 19th May, 1900) —There has been a good deal of contract work in this neighbourhood of late, and the men are obliged to leave their farming operations to the women and children; but at no time has there been reason to complain of neglect of their school by any of the people. There is no room to doubt that the improvement in the character and manners of the children is due to the kindly rule of their teachers, and to other beneficent influences exerted by them. The school-work also is very good ; the English and much of the higher arithmetic were very meritorious ; the spelling, too, was most satisfactory. The school is very good indeed. Rangitukia (examined 17th May, 1900). —Order is maintained here without any difficulty. The idea of behaving in a disorderly manner seems unknown to the pupils. Throughout, everything is done in a most orderly and businesslike fashion. Although the spelling here is good, it is perhaps the weakest part of the work. Plenty of blackboard and " driving-home " work is the remedy. The results are not quite so large as they were last year; the average age of pupils has been reduced considerably, and the number of marks has been correspondingly lowered; but the work is of just the same quality, and highly commendable both as a whole and in parts. Of course, the change alluded to has affected somewhat the position of Rangitukia in relation to other schools, but it still holds an excellent place.