Education Must Be the Main Priority for Māori

Education Must Be the Main Priority for Māori

By William Flavell

I decided to become a secondary school teacher because I was distressed about the continual failure of the New Zealand education system to cater for the specific needs of Māori students, particularly Māori boys. I remember a newspaper headline in 2005 that read, ‘More than half of Māori boys leave school with no qualifications’ which was the catalyst for me to change from a law degree to a conjoint teaching and arts degree.

With recent Treaty of Waitangi claims being settled, it is now more important than ever that we focus on education as the number one priority for Māori. By 2020, Māori will make up a fifth of the total population of New Zealand. Therefore, it is imperative that we have access to young, well-educated Māori who are willing to contribute and work with their marae, hapū and iwi in order to create successful ventures for their people. As a community, we need to challenge the current education system and demand change so that we can get more Māori achieving NCEA qualifications, gaining University entrance and into meaningful employment.

Firstly, we need to establish and create the conditions in our schools where Māori students can freely achieve success (academic, cultural and social) as Māori. What this simply means is that secondary schools need to implement evidence based practices that will cater for 21st century Māori learners that will drive academic achievement and help young Māori to become future leaders. For that reason, we need high quality teachers in front of our children who are able to implement a range of teaching strategies that caters for the diverse learning needs of our students. They need to be able pronounce Māori names properly, possess cultural competency and knowledge, hold high expectations and initiate mutually respectful relationships with students and their whānau. Young Māori also need access to a range of Māori role-models across a number of different disciplines such as business, health and sciences, technology and communications.

The New Zealand Māori Youth Council identified a few key recommendations to help raise the educational achievement of Māori. The first suggestion targets pre-service teachers to complete a level 1 te reo Māori and a Māori Education/Tikanga course at a tertiary institution. A greater understanding and use of the Māori language in the classroom will help strengthen relationships with Māori students. Schools also need to stop taking a ‘one size fits all approach’ to education and strengthen community relationships. What makes Kura Kaupapa Māori successful for example is that whānau are involved in all facets of the running of the school including curriculum planning, staffing and management of the school. I would like to especially see iwi with their settlement money play a more proactive role in supporting Māori students and their whānau by setting up breakfast clubs, after-school and weekend homework centres, teaching local Māori history in schools and providing financial assistance for struggling families.

It is clearly obvious that a stronger focus and emphasis to improve educational outcomes for Māori will have all sorts of positive spinoffs for Māori in other areas such as health, welfare and economic development. We must demand a system that caters for the aspirational needs of Māori so that their talents are refined so once they leave secondary school they are fully prepared to contribute to a global society.

William Flavell currently serves on the New Zealand National Education Sub-Commission for UNESCO, New Zealand Māori Youth Council and the New Zealand Asia Young Leaders Forum.

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