National M.P. gets groans

Press, 31 August 1989, Page 4

National M.P. gets groans

PA Wellington The Opposition spokesman on education, Dr Lockwood Smith, drew a series of groans from primary teachers at the New Zealand Educational Institute’s annual conference yesterday. The strongest groan came after Dr Smith explained National’s policy to regularly test children to check their progress. Before he left, an N.Z.E.I. executive member, Mrs Wallis Walker, handed him a copy of the union’s recommendations on evaluating children’s progress.

“It may assist you,” Mrs Walker said.

She applauded Dr Smith’s enthusiasm for overseas research, but said his ability to bring it to reality in New Zealand was unknown. Dr Smith said Maori achievement in New Zealand schools was “disastrous.”

Average School Certificate results for the last two years showed nearly 60 per cent of Maori pupils got grades of Cl or below, less than 44 per cent. Still worse, was that 42 per cent of Maori pupils did not get to sit School Certificate, dropping out before the

examination, he said. "Those totally unsatisfactory School Certificate results relate to the top 58 per cent of Maori students,” Dr Smith said. National intended to use a scheme from Missouri, in the United States, which helped parents be children’s first teachers. An N.Z.E.I. national executive member, Mr Jim Perry, told Dr Smith the Maori way was always to have parents as first teachers. He had reservations about the Missouri programme. He asked Dr Smith: “What is National’s total commitment in terms of funding, resources, personnel and training in terms of Maori teaching? And what’s your commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi?” Dr Smith did not give a specific answer but said National was committed to ensuring young Maori were secure in their culture. National regarded the treaty as New Zealand’s founding document.

Teachers applauded when he said National was committed to reading recovery programmes and wanted to extend recovery teaching to other subjects.