Retorts

Maori Science

Your article "Maori Science: Hit or Myth?"(Sept) was very useful in pointing out the difference between the reasonable approach advocated by the syllabus review in attempting to bring science into the schools in a less arid fashion than in the past and the lunatic fringe attempting to suborn science (and everything else in reach) to a particular cultural view.

Science has always operated as a culture unto itself in the past, with the culture of its practitioners seen as separate from their work. Perhaps this suggestion will be able to show a greater number the nuts and bolts behind what is, to many, closed doors.

In essence, all of this debate centres around an experiment being conducted on the children in our schools and, as such, I would feel it wise to establish criteria for success or failure before it begins.

In this way, a future administrator questioned about the system would be able to reply "it works" as opposed to the tired old cachet "it's policy".

Alex Wynne, Christchurch