Bullying students tell of racism in study of how they view the education system

Stuff co.nz 31 January 2018
School children are reporting “consistent” racism in a major report into how students view the education system.

“Some teachers are racist,” a student in alternative education told the report Education matters to me: Key insights, published on Wednesday.

“They tell you that you are not going to achieve … this makes me feel angry because it hurts. Then we do stupid things and we get blamed … I don’t want to get blamed … I don’t.”

A primary student said: “The racist bastards that call us brown kids, pieces of poo and baa baa black sheeps – schools need to get this stuff improved.”

A secondary student said: “Just ’cause we are Māori doesn’t mean we are stupid.”

The report, by Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft and the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA), includes online interviews with 1534 students, and face-to-face interviews with 144 from schools in Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch.

Most conclude school is “OK”, but want more from their education, and for their voices to be heard when it comes to ideas for improving it.

The report says there are “six key insights” to be drawn from what interviewees said: understand me in my whole world; people at school are racist towards me; relationships mean everything to me; teach me the way I learn best; I need to be comfortable before I can learn; and it’s my life – let me have a say.
READ MORE: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/101007218/students-tell-of-racism-in-study-of-how-they-view-the-education-system