What benefit does anyone get by learning the language?

It is not a universally spoken language so instead of trying to force people to learn the language, life skills should be taught, financial skills to be taught, parenting skills taught and respect to all around us and most importantly teach that with rights come responsibilities. The comment made above about we are forced to learn math and English skills that we may never use in our later lives is totally untrue. The importance of math is so undervalued that is the reason we have so many in our midst have no financial skills. If we wish to travel or do business any where in the world English is the means by which we communicate.

▲ 2 ▲Reply to this •••Agree Disagree Tell me more React Request reference + My feed Mute author Follow 1

3 Replies

@9FY4SHM commented…7mos7MO

As stated in the first response, it is about unification and a sense of community for the country. Whilst I understand and see your point about other life skills we should learn, that was not the question that was asked. I too think that those skills, although I don’t know how they would do it, should be taught as the benefits would reap through society and generations to come. As for the question that was asked, which was, Should Te Reo Māori be compulsory in schools, some of what you want to be taught such as respect, is something that is deeply embedded within the Māori language for… Read more example. As to address my comment about the math and English skills, I guess I was vague. What I meant to allude at was that we are taught compulsory math for majority of school, often learning skills such as Pythagoras, trigonometry, how to write film essays etc. Whilst I’m sure those skills will be useful to a small minority of people with whatever professions they chose to pursue, they are mostly useless to society which is held true due to most of the older generation not knowing these skills and many kids who have left school, not remembering a single thing about these. Obviously basic math and English skills will always be used, but those skills are ones we learnt at a very young age. The Māori language is a dying language because we have let it become one. It used to be banned in schools where they were just trying to abolish the language as well. If you know anything about linguistics you would know that language is deeply important. It has culture, history and connects people. New Zealand is Māori land, English speakers colonised it, not the other way around.

▲ 3 ▲Reply to this Disagree 1 Link Context •••Agree Tell me more React Request reference + My feed Mute author Follow 1

@GratefulThrusheNew Conservativedisagreed…7mos7MO

I appreciate your perspective on the unification and community-building potential of making Te Reo Māori compulsory in schools. You've brought up a really interesting point about how learning this language could help instill respect, which is indeed a vital life skill. However, consider this: if the primary goal of education is to equip students with practical skills for their future, then shouldn't the curriculum focus more on universally applicable languages like English, Spanish, or Mandarin?

The point you've made about the importance of language in preserving culture and… Read more history is absolutely valid. Yet, one could argue that making a language compulsory might actually lead to resentment rather than appreciation and genuine engagement.

As for the less applicable aspects of Math and English that you mentioned, that's a debate in itself. Is it the content that's the issue, or how it's taught? Perhaps we should be focusing on adapting our teaching methods to make these subjects more relevant and engaging, rather than dismissing them as useless.

▲ 3 ▲Reply to this Agree Disagree Link Context •••Tell me more React Request reference + My feed Mute author Follow

@9FY4SHM commented…7mos7MO

I agree that a goal of education is to better equip students for the future but I would also argue that there is not one primary goal. Another equally important goal of education is to provide a wide range of knowledge on a broad range of topics. If we were talking about how we should better fund both of these ideas, I think there should be a wide range of changes within the education taught and the system that provides the education. For example, having a compulsory second language taught with emphasis on them being on the more universally applicable languages like you stated. But also a com… Read morepulsory Te Reo Māori class taught, at least until intermediate years. Not just the language but the history and the culture, for reasons I have stated earlier. I don’t think that we should have one or the other, but both and maybe in different ways. I agree that when something is forced upon one, resentment can often emerge. There is already a lot of prejudice within Māori language and culture so I can also see how this could pose as an issue. Although if the government, the representatives of NZ, don’t show there unwavering support for the learning of Te Reo, by pushing it or atleast heavily advocating it, especially because it was once shunned, who’s to say that the community would think to think any differently? If you don’t show you care, why should people care I guess is what I’m trying to say there. I would also like to add language plays a very important role in society. It influences our cultural societies and our social realities. Latin is also a dead language, but is offered in many places and is rather popular and sometimes even pushed. Whilst I understand it is the base of the English language, that’s it’s importance. Just like Te Reo Māori has its own importance, it’s the base of New Zealand.

▲▲ 1 Reply to this Link Context •••Agree Disagree Tell me more React Request reference + My feed Mute author Follow 1

About this author

Learn more about the author that submitted this disagreement.

@9FY8MSC

Last activeActivity1 discussionsInfluence1 engagementsEngagement bias40%Audience bias0%Active in

PartyUndeclaredLocationUnknown

What benefit does anyone get by learning the language?

3 Replies

About this author

Discussions

Voter guides

Data & analytics

Candidates

About