8.—3

2

In addition to the Native village schools, six primary mission schools for Maori children and ten boarding-schools established by private enterprise, the latter affording more advanced education to Maoris, were inspected by the Department's Inspectors. In districts more or less settled by Europeans, Native children attend the ordinary public schools, 568 of these schools having some Maori children in attendance in 1920 ; 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 . . 6 Public schools at which Maori scholars were in attendance . . . . . . 568 Total number of primary Schools .. .. .. .. 693 Native boarding-schools affording secondary education to Maoris . . . . 10 Total .. .. .. .. ..703 Roll Number and Attendance. The number of pupils on the rolls of Native village schools at the end of 1920 was —Boys, 2,917 ; girls, 2,591 : total, 5,508 —310 more than in the previous year. Included in these numbers are 385 boys and 342 girls who are Europeans, leaving a total of 4,781 Maori children, or 231 more than in 1919. The following figures refer to attendance at Native schools:— g , Number on rolls at end of year .. .. .. .. 5,198 5,508 Average weekly roll number .. .. .. ..5,190 5,416 Average yearly attendance .. .. .. .. 4,485 4,639 Percentage of regularity of attendance .. .. .. 86-4 85-7 A considerable increase is observable in the roll number and average attendance compared with the previous year, the greater part of the increase being in the number of Maori scholars. The regularity of attendance compares well with that of public schools for 1920, serious epidemics affecting the position in both cases. Of 119 Native village schools thirty-seven attained a percentage regularity of 90 and upwards, and ninety-four schools reached the figure of 80 per cent, or over. The number of pupils on the rolls of the Native mission schools at the end of 1920 was 267, and on the rolls of the Native boarding-schools 474. 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 0,249. The following are.the figures for the years 1919 and 1920 in respect of the three classes of Native schools mentioned :— 1919. 1920. Combined rolls of Native schools .. .. .. ..5,799 6,249 Combined average weekly roll number .. .. .. 5,803 6,134 Combined average yearly attendance . . . . . . 5,036 5,277 The following table records the development of the Native village schools since the year 1881, when they were transferred to the control of the Education Department ; no account is taken of schools which, as the European element has become predominant in them, have been handed over to the various Education Boards :■ —

Native Village Schools. —Number, Attendance, and Teachers.

654 654 64 31 4