Hamilton Plans For Centres

Te Ao Hou, June 1966, Page 62

Hamilton Plans For Centres At Hamilton a meeting was called last February to form a committee for the promotion of Maori education in Hamilton. Organised by the Professor of Psychology at the University of Waikato, Professor J. Ritchie, the meeting was attended by about 60 people, most of them Maori. A committee of seven was elected to sponsor study facilities for Maori secondary school pupils and tutorial assistance at all levels for Maoris living in Hamilton. No definite plans were made, but the committee will probably make a central meeting place available to secondary school students three or four nights a week, and organise supervision, perhaps by a team of parents working on a roster system. Tutorial assistance, mainly for Maori adults attending night classes is also to be initiated as part of the scheme. Much of the evening's discussion was based on the Maori child's inability to progress at school as quickly as the pakeha because he is not given the same encouragement to study at home. Some speakers argued that efforts to improve this situation should be concentrated on school children. Professor Ritchie, however, pointed out that there was no better way to provide these incentives than by stimulating an interest in education in Maori adults. Committee members elected at the meeting were Mrs R. Wright, Miss R. de Loree, Dr D. Sinclair, Messrs. S. Renata, M. Raureti, G. D. Wright and Munroe.