June 17, 2020
Rangatahi more likely to get school qualfication
Young Māori and Pacific students are leaving the education system more qualified than their parents and grandparents did.
Stats NZ Tatauranga Aotearoa says data from the 2018 Census indicates younger Māori and Pacific peoples are achieving outcomes in both secondary and tertiary studies closer to the national average than their counterparts in older age groups.
In the Census, 80.6 percent of Māori and 83.0 percent of Pacific 15- to 24-year-olds had at least a level 1 qualification or equivalent (such as School Certificate), compared with 85.8 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds nationally.
In contrast, just 73.0 percent of Māori and 72.1 percent of Pacific 45- to 54-year-olds had that level 1 qualification, compared with an overall national total of 84.6 percent.
Susan Hollows, the census data delivery senior manager, says the increase in formal qualifications could reflect a focus over recent decades on improving cultural understanding and teaching approaches within New Zealand's education sector.
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