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E.—l

Native Schools. (See also 1.-3.) Number of Schools. There were 117 Native village schools in operation at the end of the year 1915, as compared with 115 for the previous year, four new schools (of which one was a side school) having been opened and two having been closed during the year. In addition to the Native village schools, three primary mission schools for Maori children and ten boarding-schools affording more advanced education to Maoris were inspected by the Inspectors of Native Schools. Throughout the Dominion there were 551 public schools at which Maori, children were in attendance. Thus the total number of schools under inspection where Maori children, were receiving instruction was— Native village schools ... ... ... ... ... ... 117 Native mission schools subject to inspection by the Education Department 3 Public schools at which Maori scholars were in attendance ... ... 551 Total number of primary schools ... ... ... 671 Native boarding schools affording secondary education to Maoris ... 10 Total ... .. ... ... ... ... 681 The following table shows the number of Native village schools in each grade as compared with the number for the previous year: — Number of Native Village Schools in each Grade. 1914. 1915. Grade I (9-15) 2 Grade I (9-20) 14 lla (16-20) 13 „ Hi (21-25) 15 llb (21-25) 10 „ Ilii (26-35) 28 111 (26-35) 29 ~ lIlAi (36-50) 34 IVa (36-50) 36 „ lllAii (51-80) 19 „ IVb (51-80) 18 „ lIIb (81-120) 6 V (81-120) 7 „ IVa (121-160) 1 115 117 New Buildings and Sites. During the year the work of erecting necessary school buildings at Whakarewa, Mahia Peninsula,, was put in hand, also that of removing the buildings at Purua No. 2 School (the former property of the Auckland Education Board) to Te Horo for the purposes of a Native school. Additions have been made to several schools on account of increased attendance, and sites have been procured for two schools at Maungapohapu and Ruatahuna. Roll Number and Attendance. The number of pupils on the rolls of Native village schools at the end of the year 1915 was —Boys, 2,782 ; girls, 2,409 : total, 5,191. Included in these numbers are 291 boys and 257 girls who are Europeans, leaving 4,643 Maori children. The following are some figures for the years 1914 and 1915 in connection with the attendance at Native village schools : — 1.914. 1915. Number on rolls at end of year ... ... ... 5,072 5,191* Average weekly roll number ... ... 5,053* 5,232 Average yearly attendance ... ... ... ... 4,385* 4,604* Percentage of regularity of attendance ... ... ... 86-7 88'0 * The mean of the four quarters. Of the 117 Native village schools, fifty-one gained over 90 per cent, in regularity of attendance, while fourteen failed to reach 80 per cent. When the peculiar conditions attaching to Native schools are borne the attendance at the schools must be considered very satisfactory. The number of pupils on the rolls mission schools at the end of 1915 was 141, and on the rolls of Native boarding-schools 421. The total number

4—E. 1.