Looking at the Future A Maori Point of View

Te Ao Hou, June 1968, Page 44

To the Maori Parents Looking at the Future A Maori Point of View Tēnā koutou e ngā iwi o Aotearoa. The centennial celebrations of Maori schools held recently and the changeover of control of these schools has ended a fine era in the history of education in New Zealand. It is interesting to browse through the files and note the vigour of the Maori parents in striving to educate their children and grapple with the complexities of life which accompanied the onrush of Western civilization. It is noteworthy too, to look back and reflect on the achievements of our forbears, for, if it wasn't for their tenacity and aspirations we would not be in the comparatively favourable position that we find ourselves at the present time. There have been Maoris who have reached the highest positions in all walks of life—some of them of course with world reputations. We can look back to Ngata, Buck and Pomare, but we do not need to remain there. At the present time Maoris are prominent in sport, music, commerce and the professions. But should we be happy with the present situation? Should we be complacent and bathe in the reflected glory of the past? I, for one, would say, no! In a highly technical and complex world we cannot afford to adopt a ‘Hei aha!’ attitude nor should we be saying ‘apopo!’ when it can be done today. This is not a time to look backwards but a time to look forward. Far too often we look backwards into the past. But our vision should not remain there. We should look backwards only to gain strength to go forward. One may ask ‘What is in the future?’, ‘What should we be striving for?’, ‘How

can we achieve our goals once we have found them?’ May I suggest an answer to all these questions. Although your views may differ from mine I would like to present mine, particularly in relation to education. These views are from a Maori who has been through our present education system, qualifying at university level. Although we, as a Maori race, have come a long way there should not be any complacency. We have not yet reached the educational level of the European. Far too many of our children drop out of school from lack of encouragement. Far too many leave school when another year could be of some real value. Any additional year of school is an additional qualification. If we look at statistics we find only one quarter of all Maori children sitting School Certificate in any one year obtain this qualification. There should be about fifty per cent. Therefore, there are a few hundred Maori pupils who sit the exam but do not pass even though they have the intellectual capacity to do so. Seven per cent of all Maori pupils leaving high school should go on to university. At the moment only one per cent go on to higher learning of this nature. This is a poor picture, and there is a need to exploit the potential within our children now, when half of the Maori population is under 15 years of age. If we don't, then we will perpetuate a problem longer than necessary. It requires a greater awareness by all that education is most necessary at present and will be increasingly more so in the future. If there is anything which is respected nowadays, it is an educational qualification. There is no limit to how far one can go, providing one has educational qualifications. Therefore, it is necessary to discover how children learn and how they are able to obtain the most out of the education system.