3

8.—4

Care and Training of Afflicted Children. School for the Deaf, Sumner. The pupils under instruction during the year numbered 118, and of these 24 were day pupils and 94 boarders. Included in this number 10 were part-time pupils under tuition in the afternoons for various forms of speech disorders while continuing their general education at public schools in the mornings, and 9 were either full-time day pupils or boarders for the correction of speech defects. Thus there were 99 deaf pupils and 19 pupils being treated for defective speech. During the year special day classes for partially deaf children and for stammerers were established in Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin with highly successful results, and provision has also been made in these centres for night classes for the instruction of the adult deaf. During the winter vacation lectures on the principles and teachings of speech were delivered by the Director of the school to teachers and students in several of the centres of population. Special Schools for the Feeble-minded. There are three such special schools—one at Eichmond for girls, one at Stoke for boys under fifteen years of age, and one at Otekaike, near Oamaru, for older lads. The number of girls in residence at Richmond during the year was 74, at Stoke 54 boys of school age, and at Otekaike 70 youths over school age. Expenditure. The total net expenditure by the Department for the year 1920-21 on the above services was as follows :— £ School for the Deaf .. .. .. .. .. .. 6,050 Education of the blind .. . . .. .. .. Or. 146 Schools for the feeble-minded .. .. .. .. .. 15,605 Industrial schools, receiving-homes, probation system, boarding-out system, &c. .. .. .. .. .. .. 107,753 Total .. .. .. .. .. .. £129,262

No. 2.—REPORT OF THE OFFICER IN CHARGE, INDUSTRIAL AND SPECIAL SCHOOLS BRANCH (INCLUDING AFFLICTED CHILDREN AND INFANT-LIFE PROTECTION). Sir, — Education Department, 12th September, 1921. I have the honour to submit the following report on the work of the Industrial and Special Schools Branch for last year : — The Branch carries out the following phases of social-welfare work : — (1.) Maintenance, supervision, and training of all destitute, dependent, and delinquent children committed to the care of the State. (2.) Supervision of children and juvenile offenders placed on probation by the Courts. (3.) Supervision of all infants under six years of age maintained for payment apart from their parents or guardians. (4.) Supervision, of children in cases where epidemic pensions or widows' pensions are paid by the State. (5.) Education and training of afflicted children over the age of six years. The definition " afflicted " includes deaf, blind, or improvable feeble-minded children, and children partially deaf or suffering from defective speech, and stammerers.