tKR heading in the right direction

Tu Tangata, Issue 19, 1 August 1984, Page 6

tKR heading in the right direction

Ross Teppett

Wellington High School Principal Turoa Royal likes a definition of racism that he learnt in London: ‘Any action, attitude or institutional structure which subordinates a person or group because of their race’.

“If there is a reason why maori students are not getting through, then the definition would say the education system is racist because it subordinates a group based on race,” says Turoa. Arriving back in New Zealand after a three month overseas study of bilingualism he was greeted by the ‘greeting scandal’ at Auckland Tolls. ‘The Kia Ora fiasco in Auckland was really a racist attitude by Mr Talbot.’ On his trip, funded by the Maori Education Foundation, he visited Singapore, Europe and the UK. ‘I wanted to look at biculturalism in order to set a theoretical framework around bilingualism, and to view all this from an administrators angle.’ Turoa’s first stop was Singapore where there are four offical languages; english, malay, Chinese manderin and tamil. A child is introduced to a second language at primary school. A third is learnt at secondary school. He says ‘their’ multicultural approach in education is through languages. “Language studies in schools is called ‘moral education’. I find that fascinating. How I am morally obliged to know my fellow human beings,” he says.

In Bavaria, Germany, the amount of technical equipment and resources available to the teacher impressed him. During his visit to schools in southern Germany he observed programmes of second language teaching. Turoa says the use of ‘native speakers’ was an effective way to teach language. Exchange teacher assistant schemes are used in Germany between countries whose language is being taught. He spent three weeks in London where he was involved in discussions with the local community, local bodies, race relation offices and the Institute of Education attached to the University of London. His experiences in London have made him more aware of the deficiences in our own education system. “If you look at our core cirriculum it has a framework, but in terms of multicultural education we lack definition. We are still hesistant about taha maori since the ‘review’ does not stipulate any hours or teaching’’. Turoa says London’s “changing face” has given rise to a high number of organisations combating racism. The high immigrant population is “there for what western society can give them”. “London is exciting in terms of at-

tacking racism and its multicultural approach to education,” he says.

In Ireland there are three models of bilingual education. One type uses a medium of english to teach with irish gaelic taught as a second language. The second type is bilingual where both languages are used to teach the cirriculum. The third uses gaelic as the primary medium of teaching and english is taught as a second language.

Language study begins at pre-school and Turoa was impressed by their approach. ‘We underestimate the ability of small children to learn two languages.’

He sees a lot of significance in Ireland’s Board of Gaeilge a statutory body set up by an act to promote the Irish language.

In Wales there is an act to say that welsh is an official language. A system of ‘signalisation’ exists in Wales. ‘That’s a word I want to put in this place,’ says Turoa. ‘lt means all public notices have to be in two languages.’

The three bilingual models operating in schools are similar to schools in Ireland, with welsh being a primary or secondary medium of instruction depending on the type of school.

Te Kohanga Reo type programmes have been in existence for many decades and in the main involve ‘total immersion’ in the language. Recognition of the language has gone so far as to create a chair in bilingual education at the university in Aberystwyth.

The Welsh Youth Headquarters, the URDD, is responsible for developing cultural awareness and language in youth.

Turoa says teacher training in Wales is designed for teachers to gain fluency in welsh. In training colleges there are many students who have welsh as their first language.

‘ln Wales there is a real commitment to the language. They are saying “It will live!’’, and saying it in welsh, not english. Only a few of us are saying “maori will live”!’

Wales has a Welsh TV channel which he sees as stressing the importance of the language.

One of the biggest problems seems to be ‘ln-migrants’ who speak only English and ‘they have to be served’.

An advantage of being bilingual comes with employment as bilingual students will get job preference. In Scotland Turoa visited the Isle of Lewis in the Western Isles. While there a local radio station interviewed him. ‘They told me to give all my answers in maori, so I did.’ Again in Scotland, as in Wales and

Ireland, there is an extensive educational network to promote bilingualism, in Scottish gaelic and english. Turoa wants to see the implementation of many of his overseas experiences. He says the development of bilingualism in New Zealand would be assisted by an official act of government. For the immediate future a Royal Commission (not his own) is needed ‘to halt the decline and promote the language into the next century’. An academy for the modernisation of the language is required. ‘We’ve got to find more words for everyday use.’ He wants more support for teachers in developing their fluency in the form of resource centres, advisory networks and ‘time-out’ periods. ‘Many teachers would be thankful for block courses of three to six months long to develop fluency in maori.’ ‘A major effort is needed to assist primary school teachers in dealing with Te Kohanga Reo pupils. Initially we should concentrate on one school and encourage Te Kohanga Reo pupils to be

enrolled in that designated school,’ says Turoa. He wants Maori private schools to have bilingual programmes along the same lines as the one envisaged at Hato Petera in Auckland. He says state schools should follow the example of his own school ‘to create an alternative stream within each school to cater for bilingual Te Kohanga Reo students when they come through the primary system.’ Turoa says commitment and will is needed to achieve such changes. ‘I talk about the prerequistes for a lot of things that must happen.’ He appreciates the value of ‘resource people’. ‘ln Japan they talk about walking treasures the old folk. We lack the value that they are so valuable. What do they do? They’re on the chain just gutting a piece of meat and things like that. We’re not using them in the right way.’ He says we talk a lot about the theory of multicultural education ‘but we haven’t as yet got into the process of it’. He calls our society ‘multicultural’ in

composition but ‘monocultural’ in our way of life. ‘The only ones who are being culturally enriched are the minority groups into the majority culture, we don’t seem to be able to get it much around the other way.’ Turoa would like to see this school address itself to the bicultural imperative first. Maori and pakeha, perhaps to the extent of having ‘schools within schools’. He will stand up to the people who say ‘that’s separatism!’ ‘You’re separating us already. We have no power to do what we want to do.’ He says ‘alternative’ schools are already in existence church, deaf and blind etc, and the problem is really with a prevalent British colonial attitude of ‘We know what’s best for the maori’s’. Turoa says the existing school curriculum favours the pakeha and forms a hierarchy. ‘The biggest thrust that the maori can come to is to set up an alternative. Let the maori fail their kids if failing has to be done. With all the aroha in my heart don’t tell me what is good for me and my people, you’ve said that for too long!’