A Whanganui kura kaupapa has taken a proactive approach to combat the number of Maori going into mainstream schooling after kohanga reo
Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tupoho has opened a Maori immersion early childhood education centre on its campus, known as Te Kopae Reo. The pre-school unit is similar to kohanga reo but falls under the Ministry of Education.
Kura tumuaki [principal] Stuart Kawau says a lot of parents who sent their tamariki to kohanga are then opting to put them into mainstream schooling, and Te Kopae Reo has been developed to change that.
Parents who send their children to Te Kopae Reo must promise to carry them on to the kura kaupapa, enabling a seamless Maori education for tamariki, Mr Kawau says.
