E.—3

2

No, 1. EXTEACT FEOM THE FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MINISTEE OF EDUCATION, Education of Native Children. Number of Schools. There were 118 Native village schools, including two side schools, in operation at the end of the year 1916, as compared with 117 for the previous year. During the year three new schools (of which one was a part-time school) were opened; one school was reopened and three were closed, two temporarily and one permanently. 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 501 public schools at which Maori children were in attendance, this number being fifty less than the corresponding number for the previous 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 ~ lITaI (average attendance 36-50) ... ... ... 34 39 ~ 111 ai i (average attendance 51-80) ... ... ... 19 16' ~ lIIb (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 ... ... ... 88-0 868 * The mean of the four quarters.