11

A.—4

Lanutoo, where the boys, in true Scout fashion, did what they could to tidy up the place, repair the buildings, and put things somewhat in order. " No one who knows anything of the Boy Scout movement, and what it may moan for the boys, can but hail with delight the inauguration of the movement here, and hope that it will meet with unqualified support and success and never be allowed to die out. It may indeed be fraught with untold good for the boys of Samoa." Stafi?. The staff of the Ifi Ifi School during 1920 consisted of three teachers, assisted by a part-time pupilteacher. During the same period the staff of the Malifa schools (Laumua and Native Boys' School) consisted of three teachers —one European and two Samoan. The numbers of pupils increased in 1920, and, further increases being in sight, the staffs were strengthened during 1921. The present position is that the roll of tho Ifi Ifi School has increased to 174, and its staff consists of a headmaster and three assistants, with one part-time pupil-teacher. The roll of the Malifa schools (Laumua, &o.) has increased to 130, and the staff consists of two European teachers and two Samoan teachers. There is a vacancy for one European teacher in the latter school, the gap being filled at present by one of the organizing teachers, of whom two are at work at these schools preparatory to work outside Apia. The accommodation of all these schools is overtaxed, and it is only this lack of accommodation that is delaying very considerable increases in the roll numbers. During 1921 a reorganization was effected, whereby the three Apia schools arc placed under the control of a headmaster, who also acts as the head teacher of Ifi Iff School. As education is developed the extension of Government effort indicated in this report will necessitate the provision of further staff. Developments in the Immediate Future. What has been accomplished by the Administration in the work of education has in the main boon shown in the previous pages of this report. But its efforts in the past have boon circumscribed, and necessarily circumscribed, owing to the nature of things. So it has come about that Comparatively little has been done for the children of districts outside Apia. It is most desirable nay, necessary — that developments should be undertaken in the immediate future to meet the needs of these children in outlying districts. The missionary bodies have done a great work, but the work of undertaking the requisite education of all the children of school ago in these islands is too groat for them unassisted. It is equally evident that the Administration cannot alone take over this all-important work. The missions must be assisted ; Government work must be extended : working sympathetically band-in-hand, a groat advance may be made. A conference on educational matters with representatives of the missions was held in December last. The discussion that took place cleared the ground for further effort, and a provisional scheme was [nit forward for adoption. Provision was made in this scheme for schools of three grades- - 1. First-grade schools (village schools) ) -y,. . ■, , c\ a i l l i / i i» i ■ ■ i i iYILSiSIO.II SCIIOOIS. 2. Second-grade schools (sub-district schools) 3. Third-grade schools (district schools) .. Government schools. The missions will carry on schools of Grades 1 and 2—tho first by means of Samoan pastors, who will have also religious duties to perform, and from whom teaching in English will not, be expected. The second-grade schools will bo in charge of Samoan teachers, who will have no other duties to perform ; English will be taught in these schools. Government assistance will be given through travelling teachers, and subsidies will be paid on certain conditions being carried out. Tho third-grade schools are those which will be directly under Administration control. They will be taught by while teachers, with the assistance of Native teachers, and the teaching will be in English. Provision for still higher education will be made by means of scholarships enabling the winners to undergo a further course of study, say, in New Zealand. The necessity for industrial training was also discussed and stressed. Further, as the report of the conference says, " Government education is to lie .secular; religious teaching and training of pastors is to be left entirely in the hands of the missions concerned. A conference or Board composed of delegates from mission bodies and the Government to be assembled periodically for consultation and advisory purposes." The scheme adopted at the conference is necessarily tentative, and, considerable preparatory work being necessary, its application must be gradual. A beginning was made in April, 1.921, by the appointment of two travelling or organizing teachers, who have been employed at the Government schools at Apia acquiring experience in the handling of Samoan children before f,iking up their work outside. At the same time they have filled places on the staff of these schools that need to be filled owing to the increase of scholars. They are now ready to go out on tho work for which they were appointed, and it is hoped that the assistance they will give to the Native teachers outside Apia will improve and standardize teaching-methods. The district or third-grade schools, which are to be directly under Government control, will ultimately receive the best of the pupils who have passed through the subdistrict or second-grade schools. It is hoped that there will be eventually three or four district schools in Cpolu and two or three in Savaii. The School for Native boys at Malifa, which has been running with diminished numbers since the epidemic of 191.8, is practically a district school, but for various reasons it is desirable that the district school should not be at Malifa. Pending arrangements for another site, now in course of negotiation, and provided that satisfaotory arrangements can be made for food-supply, it is proposed to bring this school up to its full number of sixty boys, selected from all parts of Upolu, and so establish without further delay one district school in Upolu. As to Savaii, proposals arc being put forward for the allocation of Vaipouli (one of the Crown estatiEs) for district-school purposes, and if these are agreed to it should bo possible to establish tho first of the district schools in Savaii at the beginning of 1922.