'At risk’ children helped

Press, 10 July 1979, Page 6

'At risk’ children helped

“If I had a million bucks from Telethon I know where I’d spend it,” said Howard Morrison in Christchurch yesterday during a brief stop in a crowded schedule of school visits and public meetings.

Nearly 12 months on the road as' leader of the Maori Affairs Department’s Tu Tangata (stance of the people) programme in New Zealand schools have given the well-known entertainer some firm views on education.

Although his work with the programme has been mainly with “at risk” children in secondary schools, he is sure that a similar programme should be done for pre-school and primary education.

A few statistics show the basis for his concern and

sense of urgency. More than a third of all offenders in the New Zealand courts are Maoris, and 70 per cent of Maori children leave school without any qualifications. For pakeha children the figure is 30 per cent. Although exact figures were not available, unemployment appeared to hit Maoris harder than others. In Rotorua, Mr Morrison suspects, six out of seven unemployed are Maoris. In Tu Tangata, Howard Morrison and three others from the department tour high schools and present a programme designed to make “at. risk” children think about the opportunities they might miss by failing their first chance at education.

It is, he says, an attempt to boost sagging morale, to make the children more aware of their opportunities.

A year on the road has seen some progress. Already there are a few encouraging signs in the achievement levels of some schools visited by the group. A few disappointments, too. In Christchurch, and elsewhere, • some school principals have rejected the possibility of a visit from the team “sight unseen.” Why? “Perhaps they think we are trying to do the whole job,” said Howard Morrison. He is careful, though, to point out that the youth development team is a support group only, there to help the schools. Some Maoris are giving the team a few problems as .well. In the latter part of the twentieth century tribal divisions seem to be as alive as ever.

A few Maori radicals have levelled a charge that hurts

— they have called him “Uncle Tom.” What makes Howard Morrison mad is , that “it’s the kids who are the football in this conflict.”

The children to whom the programme Is aimed have shown few such reservations. “The kids have plenty of views. It is the first time someone has been listening to them.”

One common complaint was the lack of time given in schools to the teaching of Maori culture. Howard Morrison believes that for confidence-building the teaching of the children’s culture is invaluable.

“After all,” he says, “we are in the trump seat. We represent the original ethnic group of the country.”

Howard Morrison and the Tu Tangata team will be in Christchurch until Thursday.