Latest news with #TeAkatea
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Ministry shelves book due to 'too many' Māori words
A children's reading book has been shelved by the Ministry of Education because it has apparently got too many Māori words in it. In a message to schools, it said student sized copies of 'At the Marae' will not be reprinted due to the "high number" of te reo Māori words in the text. The Ministry of Education said Māori vowel sounds are different to English ones and that makes the book less appropriate for students to practise decoding wording using the phonetic method they have been taught. CEO of Te Akatea, the national association of Māori school principals and leaders spoke to Lisa Owen. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
'Act of racism': Education Ministry cans children's school book for too many Māori words
The cover of At the Marae. Photo: Screenshot / Ministry of Education The Education Ministry has canned a reader for junior children because it has too many Māori words, infuriating Te Akatea, the Māori Principals' Association. The association's president Bruce Jepsen said the decision not to reprint "At the Marae" was racist and white supremacist. The ministry told schools "At the Marae", did not fit the sequence that young children were now taught to decode words using the structured literacy approach. However, it had been re-sized into a "big book format" that teachers could use to read with pupils. "The decision was guided by phonics sequencing and decoding suitability, rather than a defined word-count threshold," the ministry told RNZ. A page from At the Marae. Photo: Screenshot / Ministry of Education "Unlike other titles in the series, which typically include no more than three kupu Māori (excluding character names), At the Marae featured six different kupu Māori. While these words reflect everyday language used in classrooms and communities, the higher number presented decoding challenges within the phonics sequence used in the series." The ministry said decisions about reader suitability were made through "a collaborative review process involving literacy experts, educators, and cultural advisors". "This makes sure resources are developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and aligned with the principles of structured literacy." Jepsen told RNZ he did not accept the ministry's reason for ceasing new prints of the book. "It sounds like a real poor excuse for a really poor decision," he said. "Make no mistake, our members see this move as an act of white supremacy. It's an act of racism. It's a determined act to recolonize our education system, and it sends a very dangerous message and is immensely harmful and it's utterly shameful." A page from At the Marae. Photo: Screenshot / Ministry of Education Jepsen said he had not had time to complain to the ministry about the decision because his phone would not stop ringing with calls from principals who were outraged and devastated by the news. "Our members view this as a blatant attack on our language, dismissal of our culture, and an assault on our identity as Māori," he said. "Our members liken this decision to the introduction of the Education Ordinance Act of 1847 and the Native Schools Act of 1867. Both of these oppressive acts of colonisation sought to eradicate te reo Māori in schools, and we see the removal of books that carry our language as being exactly the same." Jepsen said books like At the Marae showed educators' commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi and to an anti-racist, decolonising and equity-focused way of teaching. A school principal and member of the Aotearoa Education Collective, Lynda Knight, said children used readers in group sessions, at home and for independent reading so they were likely to spend more time with those than with the "big book" versions. She said At the Marae should be reprinted as a reader. "The Māori words that are in the book are all very common words heard in New Zealand everyday life and our kids should know them," she said. They're words like karanga, wharenui, koro, hongi and karakia and kai. So I struggle to actually understand why they would be too hard for children to read when they're part of their lived experience anyway." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
