• Kamehameha Schools Kamehameha Schools The will of Bernice Pauahi Bishop aimed at assisting “Hawaiian” children through the legacy of her personal fortune made up mostly of land that she controlled as an ali’i of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Today, over
• Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools
The will of Bernice Pauahi Bishop aimed at assisting “Hawaiian” children through the legacy of her personal fortune made up mostly of land that she controlled as an ali’i of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Today, over a century later, the definition of what she meant as Hawaiian children in regards to admission to the Kamehameha Schools, is at the heart of decisions being made by a federal judge.
Judge David Ezra, who serves in the Honolulu branch of the federal 9th district court of appeals, said that the Kamehameha admissions policy is improving the status of Native Hawaiians, and the education students at the school is helping to overcome disadvantages and injustices that Native Hawaiians have faced since the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893.
It’s been pointed out in the court ruling that the Native Hawaiian-only school receives no federal funds and is a private institution that can’t be controlled by government like a public school can be.
While students who don’t meet the Native Hawaiian ancestry requirements are missing out on an education superior in many ways to that found in Hawai’i’s public schools, these same students also have many options outside of attending Kamehameha Schools. There is the option of paying to attend a private school like Punahou, Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Iolani, Island School and a list of other non-public schools that operate in Hawai’i. Students with high academic standing may qualify for scholarships at private schools if their family can’t afford the expensive tuition. Students can also attend public school for free, and if they apply themselves, as many students have done, they will do well upon graduating from Kaua’i’s three public high schools. A growing number of Kaua’i public-school graduates are attending top-rank universities, including some Ivy League schools.
Kamehameha Schools should be for Native Hawaiian students. That was the wish of ali’i Bernice Pauahi Bishop, and her wish shouldn’t be redefined in a 21st-century courtroom. There should be no hair splitting in deciding upon who qualifies. The standards in place are clear and work well.
Another take on the Kamehameha Schools issue is the need to educate more Native Hawaiian students than there are places for at the school’s campus that rises above Kalihi in Honolulu. A number of Kaua’i students attend the school at no cost to their families, which is a great benefit to the students and the Kaua’i community.
However, what is needed beyond the off-island education offered by Kamehameha Schools to the best and brightest of those who apply is a system of smaller schools on the Neighbor Islands. A Kamehameha Schools vocational school on Kaua’i for Native Hawaiian students would be a welcomed addition to our roster of schools.
In fact, Kamehameha Schools originally started with a focus on vocational education. Continuing in this tradition in a new way would be a benefit to the entire Kaua’i community.
