Kelvin Davis
Tourism spokesperson
Associate Maori Affairs spokesperson
Associate Education spokesperson

18 June 2009 Media Statement


Pita Sharples creates another diversion

If the problem is Maori students failing at school, sending them to university en masse will not fix the problem at its source, says Labour’s spokesperson for Maori Education Kelvin Davis.

“You don’t fix a problem by creating another somewhere else,” Kelvin Davis said in response to Pita Sharples’ push to open up further Maori access to university.

“Maori need solutions to a problem, not a problem disguised as a solution. Pita Sharples is the Associate Minister of Education. He is in a position now where he can make a difference to the real problem of Maori underachievement in schools, but obviously has no idea how to. He is out of his depth.

“While people like Dr Sharples continue to announce day-dreams instead of sound educational policy, Maori will continue to fail at school.

“The problem to Maori entering university is that they don’t achieve at school. The solution is to fix schooling. That is what Dr Sharples is paid to do.

“The other issue here is the need to invest in Maori and other adults who haven’t achieved at school, but who want more skills and qualifications,” says Kelvin Davis.

“And here’s the rub. Pita Sharples is part of a Government which used the Budget to slash $94.3 million from Vote Education over the next four years for tertiary programmes for literacy and numeracy. Nearly $70 million of that money was for Adult and Community Education courses targeted at literacy, language and numeracy learning.

“These programmes – provided through polytechnics, university, wananga and the like – are exactly what is required to help more New Zealanders of all ethnicities go on to gain tertiary qualifications and better jobs.

“But Dr Sharples has said nothing about this. This seems to be yet another distraction designed to take the focus away from yet another instance of the Maori Party sitting there and allowing the Government to slash funding for programmes that Maori need,” says Kelvin Davis.

ENDS

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