Maori educators look at boosting tertiary output
Thursday, 29th March, 2012
Maori tertiary educators are meeting today at Pipitea Marae in Wellington to look at ways to improve the engagement, retention and pass rates of Maori students.
The second Tuia Te Ako Maori tertiary education Hui is being hosted by Ako Aotearoa � the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence.
Professor Michael Walker from Auckland University says higher education grows people and builds economies � but Maori people haven�t been as well served by the education system as they should have been.
He says universities like Auckland are putting in special programmes to allow Maori students to show what they are capable of.
�What we�re looking to do then is grow our people, grow the numbers of our people who are well educated, and we have to remember that 20 percent of all people aged under 25 in New Zealand are Maori and that is a significant number and they could make a huge contribution to our nation�s future,� Professor Walker says.
The hui will also look at projects focused on getting more Maori health professionals, more early childhood education teachers with bicultural competence, and improving the way industry training organisations reach out to Maori workers.
|
