E.-3

2

No. 1. EXTRACT FROM THE FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION. Education of Native Children. Number of Schools. There were 119 Native village schools, including two side schools, in operation at the end of the year 1918, the number being one more than for the previous year. During the year three new schools were opened, and one was reopened, while three were closed temporarily towards the end of the year. The establishment of three new Native schools is at present being considered. With the exception of two, all of the Native village schools are situated in the North Island. On account of the influenza epidemic all schools were closed during the last two months of the year. In addition to the Native village schools, five primary mission schools for Maori children and ten boarding-schools affording more advanced education to Maoris were inspected by the Department's Inspectors. Throughout the Dominion there were also 509 public schools at which Maori children were in attendance, this number being sixty-five 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 .. . . . . . . . . .. .. 119 Native mission schools subject to inspection by the Education Department . . 5 Public schools at which Maori scholars were in attendance . . .. .. 509 Total number of primary schools .. .. .. .. 633 Native boarding-schools affording secondary education to Maoris . . . . 10 Total .. .. .. .. .. ..643 The following table shows the number of Native village schools classified according to grade for the years 1917 and 1918 : — 1917. 1918. Grade I (average attendance 9-20) .. .. .. 16 18 ~ II i (average, attendance 21-25) .. .. .. .. 19 13 ~ II ii (average attendance 26-35) .. . . 26 27 ~ lIIa i (average attendance 36-50) .. .. 33 37 ~ lIIa ii (average attendance 51-80) .. .. 15 16 ~ lIIb (average attendance 81-120) .. .. .. 8 8 ~ IVa (average attendance 121-160) .. .. .. 1 118 119 Roll Number and Attendance. The number of pupils on the rolls of Native village schools at the end. of 1918 was —Boys, 2,651 ; girls, 2,413 : total, 5,064- 109 less than for the previous year. Included in these numbers are 303 boys and 289 girls who are Europeans, leaving 4,472 Maori children. The withdrawal of some seventy Maori children from a Native school for enrolment in a private school, together with the temporary closing of three schools, probably accounts for the decrease in. numbers as compared with the previous year. The following are some figures for the years 1917 and 1918 in connection with the attendance at Native village schools : — 1917. 1918. Number on rolls at end of year ~. .. .. .. 5,173 5,064 Average weekly roll number .. .. .. .. 5,191 5,044 Average yearly attendance .. .. .. 4,507 4,338 Percentage of regularity of attendance .. .. .. 86-8 860 The figures show little variation from those of the previous year, the percentage of average attendance (86 - 0) being regarded as sufficiently good when compared with the figure (88-7) for public schools, and when the special conditions pertaining to Native schools are taken into account. Of the 119 schools, ninetyeight attained a regularity of attendance of 80 per cent, or over.