Free early childhood education not for kohanga

Thursday 18 January 2007

'Free early childhood education not for kohanga'

Dr Pita Sharples, Co-leader of the Maori Party

Maori Party co-leader, Dr Pita Sharples, has today spoken of his deep concern that the Kohanga Reo movement will miss out on the Government's pre-election promise of free early childhood education.

His concerns arose following yesterday’s announcement based on Ministry of Education information that centres covering up to 14% of New Zealand will not be able to offer the free hours.

“The Maori Party has raised the specific discrimination being meted out to kohanga reo with Associate Minister of Education Horomia, in questions in the House, on the 23rd of November last year” said Dr Sharples.

“The issue is all around qualifications – who defines them – who says what knowledge counts”.

“The Minister refused to confirm that the whanau whakapakari three year professional development programme would enable kohanga to access the free hours entitlement”.

“This whole process reeks of the patronising, paternalistic, colonial master of the 21st century telling the servant how to behave” said Dr Sharples. “The kohanga reo movement is known internationally as being ‘whanau led’; but it appears the twenty free hours entitlement is available only to centres that are ‘teacher led’.

The Ministry of Education determines the eligibility of kohanga reo for funding, and the monies are distributed through Te Kohanga Reo National Trust.

“The bizarre fact in this whole circus”, said Dr Sharples, “is that while the Ministry’s classification of kohanga as ‘whanau led’ reflects their distinctive status as a movement; it also serves to make them ineligible for this new incentive funding”.

“A high percentage of tamariki attending kohanga reo come from low income families where the twenty hours entitlement will undoubtedly have a huge impact” said Dr Sharples.

“I know in talking with whanau, that there is a real fear that the failure of the Government to support kohanga with this twenty hours policy, will in practice, force families to go to other early childhood centres – a decision forced purely on grounds of affordability”.

“As we look forward this year, to celebrating twenty-five years of the remarkable kohanga reo movement of change, it is appalling that the Government is effectively imposing their criteria upon them; in effect, re-defining a vital opportunity for our whanau to be immersed in their language, customs and values – ahuatanga Maori” said Dr Sharples.

“I am particularly aware of the international significance of the kohanga reo movement, having recently returned from Hawai’i” added Dr Sharples.

The Hawaiian language immersion programme was influenced by the establishment of kohanga reo. The Punana Leo movement was established in 1983 to revitalise the mana of a living Hawai’ian language.

“We know of many other immersion programmes, such as the Aboriginal Head Start programme which has similar goals in reviving the language, culture and history of the First nations peoples in Canada; the language aspirations of the Sioux nation of Dakota and other developments in New Guinea or North Australia which have all been inspired by the dream of kohanga reo” said Dr Sharples.

“And yet here at home, this Government, is prepared to undermine and indeed bypass the kohanga reo movement, through an action which will threaten their very viability”.

ENDS