About this episode

The episode discusses the risks to Indigenous education in New Zealand amidst educational reforms and the implications for Indigenous communities globally.

New Zealand’s government is making big changes to its education system. The aim is to reverse declining student achievement and give more opportunities to disadvantaged children. The subjects of reading, writing, maths and science form the core of the new curriculum. But there are concerns particularly among the Indigenous community that the Māori language, culture and identity have not been considered as an integral part of the reforms. And that in the longer term, a lack of access to Indigenous teaching might have repercussions beyond the classroom, in wider society. This is not just an issue for New Zealand. Decisions on heritage-based learning are of concern for Indigenous populations across the world. In Canada’s public school system, whilst courses in Indigenous knowledge are not mandatory, there are concerted efforts to include Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum. In the province of Ontario, children from kindergarten age up to the age of 15 to 16, learn about their Indigenous communities. However, it is not the same story everywhere, so is Indigenous education at risk? To help answer this question are our panel of leading educators: Dr Mere Skerrett, associate…

People in this episode

Guests: Dr Mere Skerrett, Dame Elizabeth Rata, Dr Lindsay Morcom

Topics covered

• Indigenous education
• Māori language
• education reform
• student achievement
• cultural identity
• heritage-based learning

Keywords

• Indigenous education
• Māori culture
• education system
• student achievement
• cultural identity
• Canada
• Ontario
• heritage learning

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Victoria University of Wellington, University of Auckland

Places: New Zealand, Canada, Ontario

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