Secondary teachers are urging the government to continue affirming and advancing Te Tiriti o Waitangi in education.
PPTA Te Wehengarua Māori vice president Te Aomihia Taua-Glassie says honouring te tiriti obligations has resulted in huge improvements in ākonga Māori achievement .
That’s not just through the establishment of kura kaupapa Māori, wharekura and kura a iwi in the public education system, but the work done in English medium schools to have a culturally responsive context for learning,
“Te Ao Haka, pōwhiri, whakatau led by rangatahi with the support of their mana whenua, Ngā Manu Kōrero and the frequent use of te reo Māori are part and parcel of everyday school life for all our ākonga,” she says.
Ms Taua-Glassie says secondary teachers are deeply concerned that 50 years of real progress could be rolled back significantly by this Government through changes to the curriculum, a refusal to value Te Reo Māori and a refusal to acknowledge that to get equitable outcomes, Māori rangatahi need approaches that reflect partnership and Te Ao Māori.
