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Massey University is looking forward to graduating the first intake of a programme aimed at boosting the skills of kura kaupapa Maori teachers.
Coordinator Huia Jahnke says Te Aho Tatairangi, a double degree combining a Bachelor of Teaching Maori Medium and a Diploma Maori Education, was designed in partnership with Te Runanga Nui o Nga Kura Kaupapa Maori of Aotearoa.
She says Te Aho Tatairangi didn’t mirror mainstream teacher training, but was built around the Te Aho Matua philosophy which underlies kura kaupapa, and run on a distance learning basis with regular wananaga.
Each student stays attached to a particular kura hapai.
"We felt from our past programmes that particularly Maori students are more likely to do better if they are in a community where they are supported, and we felt the best support system was for them to remain in their communities for the duration of their studies," Professor Jahnke says.
Many of the 11 who graduate in May are second generation speakers who can provide real inter-generation transmission of the language.
Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
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