5 Mar 2010

Schools need to be more culturally relevant - Turia

6:10 am on 5 March 2010

Associate Social Welfare Minister Tariana Turia says schools need to become more culturally relevant for Maori children.

The Government is putting more money into cracking down on absenteeism and truancy in schools, after a survey by the Ministry of Education found 30,000 students per day are skipping classes. More than half of them are Maori and Pacific Island children.

Mrs Turia told Waatea News that too many students are not inspired by what they get in the classroom.

Because of the deficiencies in schools, Mrs Turia said money has been invested in teaching non-Maori teachers how to educate Maori children.