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1938. NEW ZEALAND.

EDUCATION OF NATIVE CHILDREN (In continuation of E.-3, 1937).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of Ilis Excellency.

CONTENTS. PAGE PAGE No. 1. —Report of the Senior Inspector of Native No. 2. —Detailed Tables —continued. Schools .. .. .. 1 Table H5. Maori Children at Public Schools .. 8 No. 2.—Detailed TablesHO. Proficiency Results .. .. 9 Table H 1. Number of Native Schools classified u n x- t t\t al-u . x n j n H 7. Classification of Maori Children at according to Grade, &c. 7 -n vv a i» i n tt o axx j j. o u i h Public schools .. . . 9 H 2. Attendance at Schools .. .. 7 H3. Rolls of Maori Mission and Maori H8 - A g es and Standards .. .. 10 Boarding Schools .. 7 H 9. Certificates held by Teachers in H 4. Number of Maori Pupils attending Native Schools.. .. ..11 Maori Secondary Schools, &c. .. 8

No. 1. REPORT OF THE SENIOR INSPECTOR OF NATIVE SCHOOLS. Sir, — I have the honour to present the following report on the Native schools for the year 1937 : — 1. Curriculum of Native Schools. The factors which determine the content of Native education were discussed in my report of last year. Summarized, they include the background of Native life and the environment and changes created by association with European people. Thus, Native education so conceived includes not only the cultural content which is common to both Native and European education, but other elements that have generally been considered hitherto as outside the bounds of formal English education. For some years now an attempt has been made to relate the activities of Native schools to the life of the Maori child. This means that the study of the three R's, as ends in themselves, has been replaced by the realization that they are merely instruments, while the narrow and self-contained attitude of the schools, which created a dualism in the minds of the Maori child (school life versus out - of-school life), has given place to the conception of the school as the cultural centre of the community. It can now be said that in the majority of Native schools the child, and not the subject, is the centre of interest. In a few of the schools the adoption of the activity programme has been most successful and provides a justification, if such be necessary, of the new orientation. In an endeavour to assist Native-school teachers to appreciate the change of emphasis, a simplification of the time-table was proposed to obviate the multiplicity of subjects, attention to each of which tended to make the time-table, instead of the child, the dominating feature. Six broad divisions were suggested. These were English, home and health, arts and crafts, social studies, aesthetic activities, and number. This idea received eager acceptance by a number of head teachers, and resulted in the preparation of some original time-tables, the value of which cannot be questioned. 2. Home and Health. Under this heading have been co-ordinated all those activities and branches of learning that help to build up sound vigorous health for the individual and for the community, including the care, management, and beautification of the home. In the present situation of the Maori there is no work that can be considered of greater importance. The subjects included are extensive in scope and variety, as

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