INDEPENDENT NEWS

Mr Brash lost the plot?

Published: Fri 20 Feb 2004 03:05 PM
Mr Brash lost the plot?
“Don Brash has simply ‘lost the plot’ in his latest outrageous attempts to gain votes by denigrating Maori and Pacific Islands success at University” the President of the Association of Staff in Tertiary Education (ASTE Te Hau Takitini o Aotearoa) Lloyd Woods said today in Wellington. “It is outrageous to suggest that Maori and Pacific Islands students are being treated differently in the way their work is assessed. It is not only an insult to these students but also to their tutors and lecturers who by default are being accused of bias in their assessment procedures.” Mr Woods said.
Universities and other tertiary institutions have very prescriptive procedures to ensure that academic standards are uniform and discrimination is not possible. “ Even without these academic quality assurance procedures staff through their own academic professionalism would not discriminate on any grounds” Mr Woods added.
Mr Woods concluded “It is disturbing to see the leader of the opposition stoop so low as to not only be making potentially racially divisive if not racist statements as has been previously reported.
Page 1 of 2 Now Mr Brash has begun attack those who are amongst the many Maori and Pacific Islands success stories in education. Such statements serve only to fuel negative commentary in the community, and do nothing to foster harmonious relations or find positive solutions to the inequities that face Maori and Pacific Islands people.”

Next in Lifestyle

Malicious Melodrama - Todd Haynes’ ‘May December’
By: Howard Davis
The Austerity Of Quiet Despair - Wim Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days’
By: Howard Davis
View as: DESKTOP | MOBILE © Scoop Media