South Auckland ‘frontier’ school succeeding in its own way

Press, 26 February 1980, Page 17

South Auckland ‘frontier’ school succeeding in its own way

Life is a little different in the' state system, in which most Maoris are educated. The 1000 or so Maoris in the private schools have opportunities and take them. Strictly speaking, the same opportunities exist iri the state schools but the record of success is feeble indeed.

Admittedly few of the advantages of the private schools — their size, the trust of the children’s parents, the trust of the children themselves, compulsory study and a tradition of success — are available to their state counterparts. '.. ' .One thing the state schools do rather better than the private ones is to reflect the world around them.

The private schools are enclaves, well ordered, successful on. the most meagre of financial resources, set apart by their sense of purpose and ability to' achieve it. The contrast with state schools, or the country for that matter, is difficult to avoid.

Nga Tapuwae college stands on the “wettest, windiest site in South Auckland.” It is also on the flight path into the international airport at Mangere and as close to the airport ■ itself as a school is allowed to be. . Pakehas are the smallest ethnic group at the college, making up less than

a third of the roll. The majority are Maoris and Pacific Islanders.

Of the 53,000 people in the school zone, -which takes in much of the new, sprawling city of Manakau, only 1000 have attained School Certificate or better. “We’ve been going four years now and we still don’t have a parent with a professional occupation,” said the head of the school’s English and community Departments, Stuart Middleton. In those four years, reflecting the rapid growth of the surrounding area, the school’s zone has changed, more than three times. Some children at the school have brothers or sisters at two other high schools in the area because of the changes. Some might object that Nga Tapuwae is atypical, the worst possible example to visit. At present they might have a point — but a slender one. It is obvious that Nga Tapuwae stands near the frontier of Auckland’s expansion. but less obvious is Stuart Middleton’s claim that the school is on the frontier of New Zealand education. He estimates, and so far has found no-one to challenge his claim, that Polynesians (Maoris included) could make up 50 per cent of the secondary school rolls in this country within 20 years — in Auck-

land it could go as high as 80 per cent. In ' some ways the school has been treated as though it does, indeed, stand on a frontier. But in other cases some feel that its treatment would better befit a backwater.

Designed by the planners as a community school — one of the first — to cope with the unsettled and unformed nature of a new housing area, the school has had to work within a rather narrower framework than originally intended.

The school was to “be well equipped. A community centre, a creche, ■ a swimming pool and a youth centre — the things a less than affluent new community does not have — were to be provided.

Four years after opening it is still waiting, and it will have to wait a bit longer, because the buildings that will house them have only just been approved. That inconvenient fact, 'however, has not stopped the school from starting a youth centre and doing its best to become a centre for surrounding suburbia. The number Of wedding feasts, celebrations' and public meetings held in its classrooms show too that it has had some success with its aims — in spite of the building delays.

Ironically, the community school — a product of

some of the latest think- . ing in State education — puts to use many ideas taken from the successful . operation of. the private . schools.

But the setting into which these ideas have to be transplanted — a new and fragmented community — js radically different.

Whether the pupils be Maori, other Polynesians or Pakehas, social class is the overriding factor in their lives as far as success at school is concerned.

Scabies, impetigo, hearing problems, eye defects, and obesity resulting from malnutrition are just a few of the health problems the teachers at the school must cope with before they can get down to their real job of education. Frequent illness also leads to absenteeism and a consequent falling behind in progress at school. Often the families fail to realise their role in the education of their children, and few books or space to work are available at home.

Those who do, are those who have fallen for the door-to-door huckster with quick talk and a shelf full of encyclopaedias. Once burned, they are understandably reluctant to take another step. Where the money and other means might be available for books, space

or even peace and quiet, the parents can still be unsympathetic to requests. “It is difficult for parents Who have been failures or non-starters at education themselves to have much enthusiasm for their children’s education,” said Mrs Anne Gluckman, Nga Tapuwae’s foundation principal.

Most often, ' though, sympathy makes little difference when more important factors are at work.

Much of Mangere East has been built in the last 10 years and the area, although a little barren, looks, at first glance, fresh and prosperous enough. The scene is misleading. “There is gross poverty behind the freshly painted exterior,” said Mrs Gluckman.

Poverty’s effects show up in the health problems of the children, in the pressure for them to leave school, to start work and add to the family income, and the lack of successful models for the children to follow, quite apart from the problem of buying, books arid uniforms. '

A different culture accent mates the disadvantages. Poor English or little English at home . puts pressure on the school and the pupil to do it all. Nga Tapuwae’s teachers seem to have done their share and more; the. extra

functions which a community school takes on demands it. Judging by the low staff turnover rate, they have accepted the demands well. Forbes Worn, the deputy principal, whose last post was at Auckland Grammar, describes Nga Tapuwae as very relaxed. “I wouldn’t have missed it,” he said “although it has taken a while fo figure the place out.’’ Among the staff, too, there is the feeling that

teaching at Nga Tapuwae has a stigma attached, that the skills, and experience gained there are not judged highly by other schools and that promotion chances are not good. As one put it “there’s an A team and a B team. We’re on the B team.”

As such schools go, however. Nga Tapuwae is a success. Although ‘it cannot boast of the academic successes of the private schools, it has, according to the teachers and the principal, become a school which provides for the needs of the child? ren and attracted their trust.

Some of those needs are a little more pressing than the aim of a pass in School Certificate and the luxury of a choice of career.

Realistically, some of Nga Tapuwae’s pupils could not attain those goals anyway. Language problems, the home environment and the short time some spend at school (some children, mostly front migrant families, enter school at 14 and can obtain an exemption to leave sir months later) conspire to make their achievement an almost impossible task. Until recently the school ran, voluntarily, a pre-employment scheme that successfully placed all who attended it.' However, a touch of heavyhanded action by the Labour Department has temporarily ended the scheme.

A work-experience scheme run by one teacher — with'no extra pay nor any mileage allowance for searching out willing employers — continued, and has placed 60 children in jobs so far this year.