Compulsory teacher training in Maori language and culture is a move welcomed by college principals in Marlborough.
Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples said the cultural competence programme will require training teachers to study tikanga Maori and te reo during their university studies, at training courses and at school.
The programme will be introduced next month and would be in every school by the end of 2012, he said.
Marlborough Boys' College principal Wayne Hegarty said teaching was about relationships and if a teacher was mispronouncing a student's name there was potential that bond would not develop.
"The key to improving Maori achievement level is that Maori need to feel comfortable in the school and that's where correct pronunciation and knowledge of cultural aspects are important," he said.
Teacher training providers already teach marae and tangi (funeral) etiquette, which was essential for school staff.
One issue with compulsory training was what to do with trained teachers from overseas who had no knowledge of te reo or Maori culture, he said.
Queen Charlotte College principal Tom Parsons said the compulsory training would be another tool to improve teacher knowledge and Maori achievement.
However, he questioned whether the extra classes for teachers would replace something in their curriculum or if it was an addition to their studies.
Heightened awareness of tikanga and te reo would benefit Maori achievement, but it was not as simple as making teachers learn the culture and language, he said.
Staff already took programmes to improve their knowledge of Maori language and culture.
New Zealand Educational Institute president Ian Leckie said it was good that te reo competency was being recognised as a core part of a teacher's role.
"It's an essential element if we're serious about lifting achievement and the system as a whole would benefit," he said.
The Government needed to provide more details about how the programme would work and how competency would be measured, he said.
- The Marlborough Express SIMON WONG
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