We have a problem, and the problem needs to be addressed. We all know that there is an under-representation problem of Māori and Pasifika people in STEM. To be precise, the tech education sector. But, why is there a problem?
These past two years we have seen some awesome projects and companies coming out from Māori entrepreneurs. Ian Taylor was named 2019 New Zealand’s innovator of the year. Maru Nihoniho made it in the Forbes Top 40 Women in Technology in 2018. We also have Arataki Trails that are connecting people with their storytelling app.
We have awesome organisations like OMGTech! doing awesome STEAM workshops with our rangatahi. As well as Waikato-Tainui doing amazing initiatives. How are all these initiatives preparing Māori and Pacifika for traditional STEM education?
As I shift from traditional vocational training from Unitec to follow my entrepreneur roots with Tech Futures Lab. I reflect back on these past few years in the education sector.
When I started in the computing programme in 2017, there were 5 students including myself that identified as Māori or Pasifika in my cohort. They were all there trying to embrace technology and go towards learning something that they feel that would benefit their career in the long term. I remembered sitting down with the academic leader for Māori student success to discover why we had a lack of Māori success rates coming out of computing. As we were going through the list of Māori and PI students who were doing STEM related subjects, she counted less than 15 in the whole programme. This was ranging from certificate level to post graduate level. This number would decrease after more Māori and PI students start dropping out after the first and second year.
I wanted to get down to the root of this problem, so I started speaking with them individually to ask them what was the most challenging thing that they faced in the programme?A few responded saying that they had issues understanding the lectures and tutors. Others said that they felt ignored in class and didn’t feel like they could speak with the tutors or lecturers. Some of them felt like they belong in the programme or couldn’t connect culturally. As I continued with the programme, I would see those numbers decrease drastically. I felt like I was going to be another statistic and drop out after the second semester due to problems I faced by classmates who were harassing me.
Then I was saved by another Māori computing student who introduced me to Mātātupu and Whai ake in my second semester. During that time, I felt like I could connect culturally to people who were going through the same journey as me. This became my safe haven these past few years, this is where I could go to for support and express my doubts and frustrations that I was feeling with uni. It turned out that I was not the only one feeling this way, feeling like I had to leave my culture at the door. A lot of us felt we had to mold ourselves into what mainstream education wanted from us. Molded in the sense that we were memorising theory and concepts to pass tests and exams.
I did make some really good friends in the programme and I was lucky enough to become a tuakana to a wonderful Māori wahine and I ended up adopting another teina who was doing computing as well. This form of leadership had helped me to become a Māori role model in STEM. Those same people have been my number one supporters while I continued my education at Unitec.
This makes me think about the importance of role models in the STEM industry. We push to get more Māori and PI into STEM as well as more wahine into STEM. However, what resources are out there to make sure they succeed! When I think about success, It may not be in the form of having the best GPA or top marks in the class. The form of success for Māori, is doing well in the long term. The key to that is making sure that the tuakana-teina model is implemented into STEM. That level of support is important for students to do well in STEM education as it can be very isolating if you are going through the journey alone. In our culture, Māori work and collaborate together. We work and share the knowledge and in STEM that can be conflicting.
Which leads me to the next question, How can universities and polytechnics be more involved in Māori and PI success? In order for Māori and PI to do well I feel that the following could be implemented:
- Involve Māori and PI students with projects that impact their culture.
- Include Māori and PI STEM educators into the field. We need more Māori and PI role models who are teaching to create that positive cycle in success.
- Offer support services that are available to them (Māori and PI support services where they can connect culturally).
- Let them write in te reo Māori, it is one of our official languages after all.
- Do not just throw in empty Māori and PI education curriculum. Especially if you are unaware about how Māori and PI are affected. There were times at uni I saw lecturers adding in the fine lines “how it will impact Māori and Pacific communities” so us, Māori write about the impact and do not get marked on that. Time after time I have read assignments from computing lecturers just adding that as part of the tick the box that they need to do.
Those are a few things that I have highlighted and many may not agree but this what I feel that would impact the Māori success rate outcome during uni. If you want to get in contact with me, please feel free to email me or add me on linkedIn.
Nga mihi,
Tash :)
