MAORI EDUCATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2404, 20 January 1909, Page 2

MAORI EDUCATION.

IV. THE NATIVE SCHOOL'TEACHER. (By €. A. Young.) ■ There is no class of public servants more deserving of public sympathy than the Native school teachers, and no class of whom the community at Jirrge know less. Except for the annual visit of a Native school inspector and his annual report to the Education Department, little is heard of them, as they are not permitted to air their grievances in the public press. Remote from the centres of civilisation, isolated from communion with their fellows., they live lonely lives, with only their sense of duty apd-tho kindly interest they take in the Native race to enable them to support an otherwise monotonous existence. Under such circumstances it- seems remarkable that a professional newspaper for the exchange and expression of opinion does not find favor among them; and surely it is advisable that the Education Department should cull them together in confo rence annually in provincial centres; but it ought not to he considered necessary that a Departmental Inspector should control discussion at such conference. Their influence for goou among the. Maori people has been and is incalculable, -far beyond the influence of the Mission Churches, a* they appeal more directly to the Maori because of the material interest they exercise in his welfare. Because of their isolation, and of the inadequate provision made for their comfort; as also the evils of a system which leaves' good and deserving teachers neglected for years in a remote district instead of rewarding merit by exchange to a better position with increase of emoluments, because of these, the Native Education Department has at times been compelled to accept the service of teachers not qualified for the peculiar responsibilities of a Native school teacher; and consequently we sometimes find “square pegs in round holes.” The meaning of this is, that while a man rupy be a qualified teacher for a city board school, he probably would be a failure as a Native school teacher. Still, allowing for this, the system of selecting and appointing teachers to these Native schools had nothing to commend it. There was no public examination as to qualifications, and, until recently, a certificate as to capacity was not considered necessary. They were selected from any walk of life, nearly all of them without previous training —some cranks, some useful, but- all earnest men according to their lights, ■and God knows, worthy of all sympathy because of the isolated lives they" were content to lead. These, with the companionship of their often untrained but useful and sympathetic wives-—apart from the faulty system of education —exercised wan immense influence for good among the brown -people -they were content to minister to. One must refer to the appointments of the past, because usury still serving were appointed under that system. Of course, certificated men are now much in request (the certificate system provides that two years experience is necessary before a full certificate is granted), but few men have hitherto been obtained .at tho meagre salaries offered, and the result is that men are-still .appointed without previous training, or public examination to test their qualifications as teachers. Also. an. increasing number of young and inexperienced girls arc being appointed to (some to sole charge) SofTools in isolated stations, where suitable protective accommodation for bn ml and lodging cannot bo obtained, and where the conditions of social life are perilous indeed to a young girl. To* vet over the difficulty to some extent, the Department issues licenses to teach to such -applicants as may apply, or patronage recommend, “and, as has been said, the result is sometimes the placing of “square pegs in round holes.” Some improvement bus recently been made in raising and approximating the salaries of Native school teachers to the colonial! scale -«is enjoyed by the Board school teachers, but the' positions of the former require further consideration and improvement, and greater encouragement offered to lattract good men to tho service. They still suffer from the unjust system of determining the stipend by the average attendance of children—as the grading of each .school is determined by the . yearly average —so that in small settlements, where the average -attendance of children is low, tho stipend of tho teacher decreases correspondingly; and in all settlements, large 'and small alike, teachers suffer under the average system because of the custom with the Maori of taking his family with him when he goes .away from his settlement to the gum-fields, to"bush-felling, or to Native Land Courts. As attendance is not made compulsory—the truant or school attendance officers of the Board schools being unknown in the Native schools—teachers cannot control either the average attendance, or the actual examination results. Why, therefore, should they suffer in loss of stipend. Either the scale of salaries should start from a minimum not 10-wer than an .artisan’s wage, or should be determined by the school rod; or it the average attendance must be the basis of calculation,. in case of epidemics, bad weather, etc., the working average should not be less than JO poi cent. It is a poor compliment to both inspectors and teachers to_ insinuate that “stuffing of the school roll” would result from such concessions.

But the greatest dissatisfaction exists because more encouragement is not offered to 'good men, such -as promotion to larger schools, increase ol stipends for efficiency, length cf service, etc., and those at isolated -stations should be relieved in exchange after a period. It is complained that appointments to high grade school's carrying high stipends and in good localities lare given to new and untried men in this service, who surely ought rather to begin at* the bottom of tlie ladder. Also, if qualified, a teacher of a Native school should bo eligible for transfer to a ißourd school if be so desire. Further, these schools, being in or near Native settlements, are isolated from other white people, and tho poor schoolmaster has to go or send far for supplies. His residence should be detached from the school, be -large enough to accommodate himself, his wife, 'and -family, and have sufficient land' attached to enable him to supply his household with vegetables, milk, etc. A noticeable feature of these Native schools is that little or no attempt is made to beautify the school site and surroundings.’ It is to be hoped the appointment of a manual! and technical instructor, with a. knowledge of agriculture, will mark a now -departure in this respect, and that the cultivation of the schoolteacher’s ground will form part of a scheme for the primary education of the scholars of botli sexes in agriculture. In a few cases, such as Hokianga, Bay of Islands, Whangaroa, .and, recently, Kawhia, where schools have been or are being built on the seashore, or up -inlets of the sea, some distance from a township, a suitable boat should be part of the school properties. In such localities the Native school teacher and Jiis wife have other responsibilities devolving upon them, rendering such means of communication with civilisation an -absolute necessity. They are constantly being called upon to prescribe for ailments among the -children and adults of tho settlement, to assist the Native women in domestic matters, and also to act as general advisers, and those humane obligations should be taken into consideration, both in the matter of determining tho salary, and the concession of a school boat, for these Native school teachers arc really missionors of our civilisation to the "{Maoris. Occasionally there arc dangerous cases which require the immediate attendance of medical men. and in such localities as indicated, , tho schoolmaster cannot- -summon medical assistance, having neither boat nor telephone.

For obvious reasons the mistress of a Native school should be the master’s wife, and in her case, ns in all appointments of single women, some previous training in nursing, dressmaking, and general domestic duties, should be compulsory, and where the master’s wife is the school mistress, commonsense seems to suggest that for training in domestic duties two or three of the elder girl pupils should reside for ,a time in the schoolmaster’s house. For this purpose accommodation should he provided ; but it is a delicate subject: albeit one of urgent importance in the training of the race. Only married men -should be considered eligible for appointment as head teachers or those Native schools —single girls and widows never; and although single women may be eligible as -assistant teachers, the master’s wife should be first or only teacher in the case of -small schools. Some happy mul encouraging remarks have -recently been made public by the Minister for Education as to the conscientious- discharge of their duties by the teachers -and the -general cleanliness of these. Native schools, which the present writer most heartily desires to endorse; -and it is to be hoped -the Minister wil-l soon supplement these’happy remarks with something more tangible in the shape of the new Native school code containing modifications and improvements as promised- recently in the House of Representatives, while the Board School Education Act was under discussion . . . It is ia- great pleasure to the visitor to observe the* happy condition of things which -prevails at many of those schools, this being largely duo to tho -ability, character, and conscientious discharge of their duties on the part of the teachers. The tyriter would hike to particularise some schools ias being conspicuous ru this respect. In several of these the local conditions were favorable to good -results, while in others local conditions were most unfavorable—the parents being -a migratory gumfield "people—yet the children travel! many miles on ifoot or horseback to attend school regularly. In such schools there was evidence or allround good training in- class room, play-ground, and -in general morals, and the manners and the speech of the children were delightful; these cases affording proof that the Native school master must he -an exceptional ■man, and that manners make tho man.