Hui Taumata 2005: Māori in early childhood education and schools Publications
Publication Details
This analysis of trends in Māori in early childhood education and schools was commissioned for Hui Taumata 2005.
Author(s): Siobhan Murray and Amy Galvin, Education Information and Analysis, Ministry of Education. Commissioned for the Hui Taumata Steering Committee.
Date Published: January 2005
Executive Summary
Introduction
This paper provides some information on Māori students in early childhood services and schools. It has been prepared at the request of the Hui Taumata Steering Committee to give information on education trends for Māori over the last 20 years. The paper covers the number and proportion of Māori students engaging in education, what type of education is being provided and what is being achieved.
The statistics discussed in the paper are very broad and intended only as an overview. They talk about the average achievement of large groups of Māori students. As with any other group of students, there can be large differences between the achievement of individuals. Some will do exceptionally well, whilst others may not.
Summary
The total number of Māori children enrolled in early childhood education has been increasing steadily over the last decade. The number of Māori students at New Zealand schools has also been growing, and the proportion of young Māori in the population is expected to grow considerably over the next twenty years.
Over the last eighteen years more Māori students have been staying at school in the senior years. However, fewer Māori students remain at school compared to non-Māori students. Māori students are consequently more likely to leave school with no or limited qualifications every year since 1990. Māori students are consistently stood-down or suspended from school at higher rates than non-Māori, and are more likely to be truant from school.
There has been a dramatic increase over the last decade in the number of Māori students in Māori immersion education. Māori parents' representation on school boards of trustees has also increased. The number of Māori teachers is growing. Māori students' achievement of NCEA qualifications is improving.
The number of Māori children is growing
The proportion of young Māori in the population is expected to grow considerably over the next 20 years. This is due partly to an increase in the number of young Māori and also partly due to a decrease in the number of non-Māori children.
As can be seen in the graph below, the growth in the Māori population varies according to the age group. The proportion of pre-school aged children (0 to 4 year olds) who are Māori is expected to increase from 27 percent in 2001 to 30 percent in 2021. The proportion of primary school aged children (5 to 12 year olds) who are Māori is expected to increase from 24 percent in 2001 to 28 percent in 2021. The proportion of secondary school aged children (13 to 17 year olds) who are Māori is expected to increase from 21 percent in 2001 to 24 percent in 2021.
Figure 1: Projected Māori population by age groups
Notes:
- Source: Māori projections are based on Statistics New Zealand's medium scenario series 6.
- Base is the estimated resident population of Māori ethnicity at 30 June 2001.
Early Childhood Education - Enrolments and Participation
In 2003, just under 34,000 Māori children were enrolled in early childhood education (ECE) services, accounting for nearly 20 percent of all children in ECE. Overall the total number of Māori children enrolled in ECE has been increasing steadily over the last decade.
Notes:
| ||||
Year | Te Reo Māori at ECE Services* | Te Reo Māori at Te Kōhanga Reo Services | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12%-80% of Teachers' time | 81%-100% of Teachers' time | 81%-100% of Teachers' time | ||
1999 | 17,865 | 231 | 11,859 | 29,955 |
2000 | 15,465 | 3383 | 11,138 | 26,986 |
2001 | 13,792 | 332 | 9,594 | 23,718 |
2002 | 16,387 | 247 | 10,389 | 27,023 |
2003 | 20,623 | 400 | 10,319 | 31,342 |
The most popular services for Māori children in 2003 were Te Kōhanga Reo (31 percent of all Māori enrolments), Education and Care services (32 percent) and Kindergartens (22 percent).
Notes:
| ||||
Ethnicity | 2000 (%) | 2001 (%) | 2002 (%) | 2003 (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Non-Māori | 92.8 | 93.2 | 94.0 | 95.1 |
Māori | 84.8 | 85.3 | 86.5 | 88.4 |
All | 91.0 | 91.4 | 92.3 | 93.6 |
Many children in ECE experience some Te Reo Māori education. Approximately 7% of all children at licensed early childhood services attended Māori immersion services. Māori immersion is when 81-100% of teacher time is spent communicating in Māori. The table 1 below shows enrolments in licensed services where Māori is used.
Another measure of participation looks at the proportion of Year 1 primary students who attended ECE before coming to school. The proportion of Māori Year 1 students who attended early childhood services has grown steadily since 2000 (see table below). However, Māori participation rates are below the participation rates of non-Māori.
Schools Enrolments
The number of Māori at New Zealand schools, depicted in graph 1 below, has increased by 16 percent between 1995 and 2004. In 2004 there were around 160,700 school students who were Māori. The domestic school population1 has also grown in this time, which means that the proportion of Māori in the domestic school population has only grown by one percentage point – from 20 percent in 1995 to 21 percent in 20042.
Figure 2: Māori Students at New Zealand Schools, 1 July 1995-2004
The proportion of Māori is higher in primary schools (23 percent in 2004) than in secondary schools (18 percent in 2004), reflecting both the younger age distribution of the Māori population and the lower levels of participation of Māori at the senior level in secondary schools.
Notes:
| ||||||||||
School Type | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Primary | 93,147 | 93,911 | 95,990 | 97,291 | 97,165 | 98,715 | 99,643 | 100,799 | 102,797 | 101,877 |
Special | 495 | 497 | 479 | 456 | 467 | 485 | 517 | 564 | 626 | 643 |
Secondary | 38,357 | 37,091 | 37,101 | 38,270 | 38,469 | 39,069 | 40,012 | 41,105 | 43,442 | 46,474 |
Composite | 4,047 | 4,294 | 4,987 | 5,559 | 6,583 | 6,842 | 7,450 | 7,990 | 8,401 | 9,548 |
Correspondence* | 2,049 | 2,223 | 2,316 | 2,827 | 2,054 | 1,802 | 1,968 | 2,098 | 2,004 | 2,190 |
Total | 138,095 | 138,016 | 140,873 | 144,403 | 144,738 | 146,913 | 149,590 | 152,556 | 157,270 | 160,732 |
Participation in Schooling
Over the last eighteen years the proportion of Māori students staying at school has increased. In 1986 an estimated 47 percent of Māori students aged 16, 20 percent of Māori students aged 17 and 4 percent of Māori students aged 18 remained at school. By 2003 this had increased to 63 percent of 16 year olds, 37 percent of 17 year olds and 9 percent of 18 year olds. However, the increase in Māori students staying at school has not been constant over this period of time. Large increases occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and then the proportion of Māori students staying at school declined. This decline has stopped in recent years, with the proportion staying at school being quite stable over the last two to three years.
Female Māori students are slightly more likely to stay at school at ages 16 and 17 than are male Māori students. The percentages of Māori students remaining at school are considerably lower than that for non-Māori (87 percent of 16 year olds, 63 percent of 17 year olds and 15 percent of 18 year olds). Shorter stays at school contribute to the higher likelihood of students leaving school with limited qualifications.
Figure 3: Percentage of students staying at school in 2003
Increased Participation in Māori-Medium Education
Students involved in Māori-medium education are taught curriculum subjects in both Māori and English. Māori-medium education is divided into four levels according to the amount of class time spent teaching in Māori.
Level 1 is the highest level of Māori-medium education, where 81-100% of class time is conducted in Māori. Level 1 is also sometimes referred to as Māori immersion. In 1992 there were 4,618 students involved in Māori immersion. In 2003, just over 12,200 students were involved in Māori immersion, which is a 164% increase in enrolments from 1992 to 2003. The proportion of students at level 1 Māori-medium education who attend Kura Kaupapa Māori has also increased dramatically over this period, from 10 percent in 1992 to just under half of all Māori immersion students in 2003. This reflects the increase in the number of Kura Kaupapa Māori schools – from 13 in 1992 to 61 in 2003.
The number of enrolments in lower levels of Māori-medium education have also risen since 1992, though at a much lower rate and with more fluctuation between years. In 1992 there were just under 9,800 students involved in levels 2 and 3 Māori-medium education3. By 2003 enrolments had risen to 10,682 students, representing a 9 percent increase since 1992. Figure 4 depicts enrolments in Māori-medium education where more than 31% of class time is conducted in Māori (levels 1-3).
Figure 4: Number of students involved in Māori-medium education where more than 31% of curriculum time is in Māori (Levels 1-3), 1992-2003
Stand-downs and Suspensions
Stand-downs, suspensions, exclusions and expulsions are some ways to deal with student behaviour that disrupts teaching and learning. Stand-downs are the formal removal from school for a specified period, after which students return automatically to school. Suspensions are the formal removal of a student from school until the board of trustees decides the outcome of the suspension. The board may decide to lift the suspension, extend the suspension, or exclude4 or expel5 the student. Following a suspension, and an appropriate response by the board of trustees, the majority of cases (84 percent) resulted in students resuming schooling in 2003.
Note:
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Year | Stand-downs | Suspensions | Suspensions at SRI Schools | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Māori Rate Per 1000 | Non-Māori Rate Per 1000 | Māori Rate Per 1000 | Non-Māori Rate Per 1000 | Māori Rate Per 1000 | |
2000 | 46 | 19 | 17 | 5 | 76* |
2001 | 48 | 19 | 15 | 5 | 56 |
2002 | 50 | 19 | 16 | 5 | 48 |
2003 | 53 | 21 | 15 | 5 | 43 |
Statistics collected from July 1999 indicate that Māori are consistently stood-down or suspended from school at higher rates than non-Māori. Since 2000 the number of stand-downs per thousand Māori students has increased, while the number of suspensions per thousand Māori students has decreased. The rate of suspensions has also reduced for Māori within the 86 secondary schools (27 percent of all state secondary schools) participating in the Suspension Reduction Initiative which was introduced in 2001.
Truancy
The Attendance and Absence in New Zealand School's Survey 20026 was the first survey to collect information on absences of individual students. Results from past surveys (1996, 1998) indicated that schools with larger numbers of Māori or Pasifika students had higher rates of absence than schools with smaller numbers of these students. In contrast to past surveys, where conclusions about absences for Māori and Pasifika students were based on school profiles using the proportion of Māori and Pasifika students for each school, this survey collected specific absences for the main ethnic groups.
The 2002 survey found that Māori students have double the truancy rate7 of New Zealand European and Asian students. Māori were also more likely to be frequent truants, that is, students who are unjustifiably absent for three or more days during the week of the survey.
Māori achievement of NCEA qualifications is improving
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) was introduced in 2002 and is replacing School Certificate, Sixth Form Certificate and University Bursary as school qualifications. NCEA qualifications can be gained through either achievement or unit standards, or a mixture of both. Achievement standards are curriculum-based, whereas unit standards have been developed in conjunction with Industry Training Organisations or relevant tertiary providers. Students can gain credits at more than one level throughout the year. If a student does not gain a qualification, the credits gained in that year can be put towards a qualification the following year.
A higher percentage of Māori candidates8 achieved an NCEA qualification in 2003 than in 2002. Of Year 119 Māori, 41 percent achieved an NCEA qualification in 2003, 5 percent more than in 2002. However, Māori achievement is still below non-Māori achievement.
Notes:
| ||||
Year | Ethnic Group | Total Number of Candidates | Proportion of Candidates Achieving Level 1 | Proportion of Candidates Achieving Level 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Year 11 | Māori | 6,733 | 40 | 1 |
Non-Māori | 40,765 | 64 | 1 | |
Year 12 | Māori | 4,432 | 21 | 40 |
Non-Māori | 32,798 | 10 | 61 |
Students can gain credits at more than one level throughout the year. If a student does not gain a qualification, the credits gained in that year can be put towards a qualification the following year.
A higher percentage of Māori candidates achieved an NCEA qualification in 2003 than in 2002. Of Year 11 Māori, 41 percent achieved an NCEA qualification in 2003, 5 percent more than in 2002. However, Māori achievement is still below non-Māori achievement.
A high percentage of Māori Year 12 candidates gained an NCEA level 1 qualification in 2003. This indicates that Māori candidates who did not achieve NCEA level 1 in Year 11 are returning to school to complete the qualification in Year 12.
Subject participation at secondary school10
In 2003, a similar percentage of Māori and non-Māori gained credits in most learning areas. A higher percentage of Māori candidates than non-Māori candidates gained credits in Health & Physical Education. A lower percentage of Māori than non-Māori gained credits in Science.
Notes:
| |||||||||
Year | Ethnic Group | No* | Candidates completing credits in learning areas as a proportion of all candidates | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Languages* | Maths | Science | Social Sciences | The Arts | Health* | Tech* | |||
Year 11 | Māori | 6,733 | 90% | 94% | 72% | 55% | 36% | 65% | 49% |
Non-Māori | 40,765 | 94% | 96% | 86% | 64% | 33% | 57% | 54% | |
Year 12 | Māori | 4,432 | 84% | 73% | 39% | 63% | 31% | 62% | 52% |
Non-Māori | 32,798 | 87% | 76% | 55% | 62% | 28% | 44% | 49% |
School Leavers
A disproportionate number of Māori school leavers leave school without formal qualifications. School leavers without qualifications have accounted for over a third of all Māori school leavers for most years between 1990 and 2002. However, the proportion of Māori leavers with no qualifications dropped to 30 percent for the first time in 2003.
Since the introduction of NCEA in 2002, the proportion of Māori school leavers with NCEA level 2 or higher qualifications has increased from 39 percent in 2002 to 45 percent of all Māori school leavers in 2003. Between 1990 and 2001 the proportion of Māori school leavers with Sixth Form Certificate or higher has been in the range between 36 percent (in 1990) and 43 percent (in 1999). However, not only have school qualifications changed in the past few years, but also the measures used for measuring school leaver attainment are changing11. This makes drawing strong conclusions from the school leaver time series difficult at this time.
Notes:
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Year | Ethnic Group | Level of Attainment | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Uni Bursary2 | Entrance *Qual3 | Higher School *Cert4 | 6th Form *Cert1&5 | School *Cert1&6 | No *Qual6 | ||||
1990 | Māori | 4 | 8 | 23 | 26 | 38 | 8,781 | ||
Non-Māori | 21 | 16 | 31 | 19 | 12 | 46,656 | |||
1991 | Māori | 5 | 9 | 23 | 26 | 37 | 8,633 | ||
Non-Māori | 26 | 18 | 28 | 16 | 12 | 43,599 | |||
1992 | Māori | 6 | 10 | 23 | 24 | 37 | 10,029 | ||
Non-Māori | 25 | 18 | 29 | 16 | 12 | 47,839 | |||
1993 | Māori | 5 | 2 | 9 | 26 | 25 | 34 | 9,770 | |
Non-Māori | 23 | 6 | 13 | 29 | 17 | 12 | 46,470 | ||
1994 | Māori | 4 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 25 | 34 | 10,308 | |
Non-Māori | 23 | 8 | 12 | 28 | 17 | 12 | 45,753 | ||
1995 | Māori | 4 | 3 | 7 | 25 | 25 | 35 | 10,073 | |
Non-Māori | 23 | 8 | 11 | 27 | 17 | 14 | 43,746 | ||
1996 | Māori | 4 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 24 | 39 | 9,570 | |
Non-Māori | 24 | 9 | 12 | 24 | 17 | 15 | 41,917 | ||
1997 | Māori | 5 | 4 | 10 | 22 | 22 | 38 | 9,137 | |
Non-Māori | 25 | 9 | 14 | 24 | 15 | 13 | 41,056 | ||
1998 | Māori | 4 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 21 | 38 | 9,650 | |
Non-Māori | 24 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 14 | 13 | 42,216 | ||
1999 | Māori | 5 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 22 | 35 | 9,793 | |
Non-Māori | 23 | 9 | 12 | 27 | 16 | 13 | 44,607 | ||
2000 | Māori | 4 | 3 | 9 | 25 | 26 | 32 | 9,453 | |
Non-Māori | 23 | 8 | 11 | 28 | 17 | 13 | 45,180 | ||
2001 | Māori | 4 | 3 | 8 | 25 | 26 | 33 | 9,688 | |
Non-Māori | 22 | 9 | 12 | 26 | 18 | 13 | 43,829 | ||
Year | Ethnic Group | Level of Attainment | Total | ||||||
Uni Bursary2 | Entrance Qual3 | Higher School Cert4 | NCEA 2 6th Form Cert1&5 | NCEA 18 | 14+ Credits at Lvl 1 | No Qual7 | |||
2002 | Māori | 4 | 4 | 9 | 22 | 5 | 21 | 35 | 9,9445 |
Non-Māori | 22 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 3 | 13 | 15 | 43,101 | |
2003 | Māori | 5 | 4 | 11 | 26 | 10 | 15 | 30 | 9,688 |
Non-Māori | 23 | 10 | 14 | 25 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 43,783 |
Māori representation on boards of trustees increases
All of New Zealand's state and state integrated schools have a board of trustees. Each of these boards assumes the governance roles and responsibilities of its school(s). Boards are responsible for setting the strategic direction of the school and for ensuring a safe environment and quality education outcomes for the school's students. Boards are also responsible through the formation of policies for the oversight of property, financial, and personnel management and administration. Boards of trustees are made up of elected parent representatives, staff, principal and student representatives and they can appoint and/or co opt members.
From 1997 to 2003 there has been a decrease in the number of trustees overall, which can largely be attributed to the decrease in the number of schools in the same period. Despite this, the number of Māori trustees in 2003 totalled 3,034 having increased by 8 percent (or 232 trustees) since 1997. Consequently, the percentage of board members who are Māori has increased steadily from 13 percent in 1997 to 15 percent in 2003.
Notes:
| |||||||
Member Type | 1997 (%) | 1998 (%) | 1999 (%) | 2000 (%) | 2001 (%) | 2002 (%) | 2003 (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elected Parent Representative | 12.4 | 14.0 | 13.6 | 13.5 | 16.1 | 15.3 | 15.1 |
Appointed Parent Representative | 14.2 | 14.0 | 15.6 | 15.1 | 16.9 | 22.2 | 19.4 |
Co-opted Member | 23.6 | 23.2 | 25.0 | 24.2 | 27.0 | 29.5 | 28.4 |
Other Members | 8.2 | 8.4 | 8.6 | 8.8 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 9.4 |
Total | 12.9 | 13.2 | 13.3 | 13.5 | 14.8 | 15.0 | 15.1 |
The number of Māori teachers has grown
In April 2004 close to 4,500 teachers in state schools identified themselves as Māori. Compared to 1998 figures there are now around 1,200 more Māori teachers in state schools, representing an increase of 36 percent.
Notes:
| |||||||
School Type | 1998 (%) | 1999 (%) | 2000 (%) | 2001 (%) | 2002 (%) | 2003 (%) | 2004 (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Primary | 12.4 | 14.0 | 13.6 | 13.5 | 16.1 | 15.3 | 15.1 |
Secondary | 14.2 | 14.0 | 15.6 | 15.1 | 16.9 | 22.2 | 19.4 |
Composite | 23.6 | 23.2 | 25.0 | 24.2 | 27.0 | 29.5 | 28.4 |
Special | 8.2 | 8.4 | 8.6 | 8.8 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 9.4 |
Correspondence | 8.2 | 8.4 | 8.6 | 8.8 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 9.4 |
Total | 12.9 | 13.2 | 13.3 | 13.5 | 14.8 | 15.0 | 15.1 |
The growth in the number of Māori teachers is reflected in the increased proportion of Māori teachers in the workforce. In 1998, 8 percent of all state teachers identified themselves as Māori, and by 2004 this had increased to 10 percent. Composite schools have seen the largest increase in the proportion of Māori teachers in this time, more than doubling in numbers from around 270 in 1998 to 550 in 2004. This increase is largely due to the increase in the number of Kura Kaupapa Māori schools, which are mostly composite schools.
Māori teacher education graduates are increasing
The number of Māori graduating with teaching qualifications has increased by around 250 primary graduates and 80 secondary graduates from 1995 to 200212. Even though the number of Māori graduating with a primary teaching qualification has increased since 1995, other ethnic groups have increased at a greater rate. Thus Māori primary teaching graduates in 2002 represented a slightly lower proportion of graduates compared to 1995 levels. Māori secondary teacher education graduates on the other hand have increased in proportion from 6 percent of secondary graduates in 1995 to 11 percent in 2002.
Figure 5: Percentage of Teacher Education Graduates who were Māori, 1995 to 2002
Footnotes
- The domestic school population excludes NZAID and foreign fee-paying students.
- Māori enrolment data prior to 1995 was not collected on the same basis as the data from 1995 onwards, so they are not comparable. Enrolment data prior to 1995 is excluded for this reason.
- In level 2 Māori-medium education 51-80% of class time is conducted in Māori. At level 3 Māori-medium education 31-50% of class time is conducted in Māori.
- Exclusion means the formal removal of a student aged under 16 from the school, and the requirement that the student enrol elsewhere.
- Expulsion means the formal removal of a student aged 16 or over from school. He or she may enrol in another school.
- The survey was conducted in September 2002 and carried out by schools over a one-week period. Responses from 2,195 schools were received, representing 86 percent of schools.
- Truancy refers to those students who have unjustified absences or intermittent unjustified absences. The truancy rate is based on the total school rolls for the participating schools and relate to an average (mean) daily absence for the week per 100 students. Unjustified absences are absences that are not explained to the satisfaction of the school.
- A candidate is defined as a student who gains one or more credits on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). The number of Year 11 and Year 12 candidates is therefore smaller than the number of students at Year 11 and Year 12, as some students do not attain credits on the NQF.
- Year 11 equates to 5th Form as a level of schooling. Similarly, Year 12 equates to 6th Form and Year 13 equates to 7th Form.
- The Ministry of Education collects total subject enrolments at a school level every July. However, this is not collected on an ethnicity basis. Therefore information on subject participation by ethnicity is only available for students taking part in the National Qualifications Framework.
- The measure for NCEA Level 1 qualifications relates to attainment, whereas the measure for School Certificate and Sixth Form Certificate relates to participation. For example, a school leaver with a highest attainment of NCEA level 1 has attained the qualification. A school leaver with a highest attainment of School Certificate has sat three or more School Certificate examinations.
- Graduate data from Private Training Establishments was reported for the first time in 2000 and therefore is not included in previous years.
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