significant disparity

The latest Education Review Office report on maori students really offers an insight into how maori are treated in this country. "Significant disparity" between Māori and non-Māori students - that is what you get for being indigenous and colonised - significant disparity.

So although they state that,

"Improved Māori student achievement has been a key government priority in education over the decade."

This key government priority has been a dismal failure

"...national and international testing data continue to show significant disparity in the achievement of Māori and non-Māori students."

why? simple really

"a substantial proportion of schools do not review their own performance in relation to Māori student achievement."

and the even more compelling reason

"...a sizeable minority of schools consultation with Māori parents and whānau is limited, and Māori parents’ engagement in their children’s education is not valued."

Many people seem to resent maori engagement in any area

"In 2009 Māori made up approximately 22 percent of the students in New Zealand schools with just under 167,000 students. Māori students made up over half of the roll in 19 percent of schools. Māori students made up at least 15 percent of the roll in 60 percent of New Zealand schools.

And for all those students the ERO can offer

"This evaluation highlights that many New Zealand schools are not yet demonstrating sufficient commitment to ensuring the progress and achievement of Māori students."

This is institutional racism and these entrenched systems of inequality must be overthrown. No decent people can sleep well at night while our young indigenous students get discarded by the system.

SIGNIFICANT DISPARITY

Roll that around a bit