1 Oct 2012

Kohanga Trust sticks to full-time rule

7:26 am on 1 October 2012

Te Kohanga Reo National Trust is sticking to its practice of not taking children on a part-time basis because it goes against the kaupapa of kohanga reo.

Co-chair Tina Olsen-Ratana is critical of a Ministry of Education policy that allows tamariki to attend more than one early childhood centre.

Ms Olsen-Ratana says the point of kohanga reo is to revitalise the Maori language by making children fluent in te reo, which she says is not possible in any less than five days a week attendance.

She says part-time attendance is only accepted in special circumstances, where children have extra support in te reo Maori from whanau.

She says kohanga reo is not an early childhood centre and needs to be treated differently.