September 24, 2012
Turia backs release of standards data
Associate Education Minister Tariana Turia is backing the release of national standards data as a way to improve the education of Maori children.
Data released last week by Education Minister Hekia Parata showed only 66 percent of Maori children reached the national standard for reading, 62 percent for maths and 58 percent for writing.
Education unions slammed the tests as inaccurate and taking education resources away from useful activity.
But Mrs Turia says it’s time for educators and families to step up so the next generation of Maori don’t face a future of unemployment or low-paid work.
“I think Hekia Parata is doing a really good job. People may not like what she’s saying and they may not like what she’s doing but it’s all research-informed, it is taken from research that has been carried out over a number of years, she’s saying ‘we want that for Maori kids too, and we’re going to have it,’” Mrs Turia says.