E.—l

37

vious year. Thus the total number of schools under inspection where Maori children were receiving instruction was— Native village schools ... ... ... ... ... ... 118 Native mission schools subject to inspection by the Education Department 3 Public schools at which Maori scholars were in attendance ... ... 501 Total number of primary schools ... ... ... 622 Native boarding-schools affording secondary education to Maoris ... 10 Total ... ... ... ... ... ... 632 The following table shows the number of Native village schools classified according to grade for the years 1915 and 1916 :— 1915. 1916. Grade I (average attendance 9-15) ... ... ... 14 13 ~ Hi (average attendance 21—25) ... ... ... 15 16 ~ Ilii (average attendance 26-35)) ... .. ... 28 25 ~ lllai (average attendance 36-50) ... ... ... 34 39 ~ lllAii (average attendance 51-80) ... ... ... 19 16 ,-, IIIb (average attendance 81-120) ... .. ... 6 7 ~ IVa (average attendance 121-160) ... ... ... 1 2 117 118 New Buildings. New school buildings at Te Horo (Whangarei) and at Whakarewa (Te Mahia) were completed in the early part of the year, and teachers' residences were built at Pukepoto and Motuti. The erection of new school buildings at Moerangi (Raglan) and at Pamapuria (North Auckland) has also been decided upon, and arrangements are in train for the establishment (with the assistance of the Maoris) of schools at Ruatahuna and Maungapohatu (Urewera). Owing to the increased attendance at several schools it will be necessary to provide further additional accommodation. Roll Number and Attendance. The number of pupils on the rolls of Native village schools at the end of 1916 was—Boys, 2,743; girls, 2,389 : total, 5,132. Included in these numbers are 295 boys and 277 girls who are Europeans, leaving 4,560 Maori children— 83 less than in 1915. The following are some figures for the years 1915 and 1916 in connection with the attendance at Native village schools :— 1915. 1916. Number on rolls at end of year ... ... ... 5,191 5,132 Average weekly roll number ... ... ... ... 5,232* 5,190* Average yearly attendance ... ... ... ... 4,604* 4,504* Percentage of regularity of attendance ... ... ... 880 86-8 * The mean of the four quarters. A small falling-off in the figures in 1916 of both roll and average attendance, as compared with 1915, is noticeable. Expressed as a percentage of the average weekly roll the average attendance in the public schools for the past year was 886 per cent., and compared with this figure the percentage of 86-8 in Native schools, in view of the special conditions applicable to them and the somewhat adverse circumstances common to both classes of schools during the year, is sufficiently good. Of the 119 schools, thirty-six gained over 90 per cent, in regularity of attendance, while nineteen failed to reach 80 per cent. The number of pupils on the rolls of the Native mission schools at the end of 1916 was 120, and on the rolls of Native boarding-schools 457. The total number of children on the roll, at the end of the year, of Native village, mission, and boarding-schools visited and inspected by the Inspectors of this Department was therefore 5,709. The following are the figures for the years 1915 and 1916 in respect of the three classes of Native schools mentioned :— 1915. 1916. Combined rolls of Native schools .. .. .. .. 5,753 5,709 Combined average weekly roll number .. .. .. 5,773 5,789 Combined average yearly attendance .. .. ..5,119 5,054 Percentage of regularity of attendance .. .. .. 88 - 7 873