Link between racism and school dropout among young Mori, report

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Racism remains a key reason why rangatahi leave school early. Photo/NZME

By Will Trafford of Maori Television

A new report examining the health and well-being of young Mori has shed light on the significant impact of racism on rangatahi’s decision to leave school early and its lingering effects on their mental health.

Each rangatahi interviewed would talk about an experience of racism in terms of personal attacks, being followed in shops, a racist experience of a teacher where they walk into an advanced class and be told oh you’re not supposed to be here when in fact they were, said lead researcher Dr. Teah Carlson (Te Whnau panui, Ngti Porou, Waikato-Tainui, Ktimana).

The Victoria University (Te Herenga Waka) report says the discrimination faced by young Mori people leads to emotional distress, erodes self-esteem and fosters feelings of isolation, with some having suicidal thoughts.

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The report was compiled from a series of interviews with rangatahi Mori.

Dr. Carlson highlighted the risks associated with subtle racism as well as overt racism, in that while it might be harder to detect and ban, the results on rangatahi were the same, especially when combined with other challenges such as limited access to basic needs, which Mori students are also more prone to.

I just thought I was stupid, until now, like thinking, it’s like, oh, there was a reason I didn’t care about life, there was a reason I didn’t want to go to school, or I just didn’t listen to the teachers, yeah, one respondent said.

School pressure

Another participant highlighted the lack of support from the school system, explaining: I left school because the school was horrible and it had nothing to do with bullying or anything. It was literally just the school system and all the pressure on you.

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The report also noted the contributory role of drug use in worsening mental health problems among the rangatahi. She revealed that the schools were ill-prepared to adequately support them in managing these issues.

I was suicidal. And I knew I shouldn’t have thought about it and done that and hurt myself. So here is. I think I felt really hopeless, and I never liked feeling that way, one respondent said.

I tried to contact my school counselor but that didn’t really work for me. I don’t think she really understood it. But the school counselor didn’t have a good reputation anyway, so I wasn’t too surprised.

An overhaul of teacher education programs and current teaching standards is needed to address the problem, according to Carlson and his fellow researchers.

Demand cultural safety

Cultural competency training to remove biases and other barriers when understanding Mori and other Indigenous perspectives is essential, she said.

There is a layered approach to the racist systems that exist. There should be individual accountability of teachers where they would be assessed for their practice.

There is an impressive kaupapa called cultural safety, which requires all teachers to consider their own cultural background and its impact on their personal power, privilege and bias in relation to rangatahi.

This needs to be integrated into teacher training, professional development and their responsibilities within schools, Carlson said.

Despite the results of her research and related work, she says she fears that government policy is actually heading in the opposite direction.

For example, the ill-informed decision to criminalize 12-year-olds for ram raiding focuses more on punishment than investing in quality education and support for rangatahi that consider cultural competence and safety, Carlson said.

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This report should serve as a guide for policy and legislation at all levels.

Public interest journalism – funded by New Zealand On Air

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