BY IRWIN ANGIKI
Education systems across the Pacific are thriving amid a sea of challenges to embed vernaculars into the mainstream curricula.
An all-female panel of education experts presented the overall success story of indigenous languages playing a vital role in children’s learning in Wednesday’s Language and Education seminar.
The seminar is the second in the new monthly ‘Language Matters in the Pacific’ series facilitated by the University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Linguistics department of the School of Pacific Arts, Communication and Education (SPACE).
It expanded on the priority outcome of the 2023 meeting of the Council of Pacific Education Ministers, which is that ‘indigenous knowledge, culture and language should be embedded in curriculum development, teacher training programmes and delivery’.
And, by telling what this ambition means on the ground, the panellists shared the nitty gritty of incorporating language in their country’s education policies and curriculum.
The renowned panellists include:
Elaine Lameta – Director of Education, Tokelau
Lanelle Tanangada – Former Minister of Education, Solomon Islands
Helen Tamtam – Literacy Advisor, Curriculum Development Unit, Vanuatu
Ariteti Botibara – English Curriculum Officer, Curriculum Unit, Kiribati
Ainslie Chu Ling-So’o – Former Language Specialist for the Ministry of Education, Samoa
Success
Pacific education systems are living their vernaculars along with English and French.
Indigenous language is invested heavily in the early years of schooling, with English incorporated slightly later, slowly and picking up at senior levels, preparing students for university. The same for French in Vanuatu, in which both global languages are spoken.
Tamtam shares their successful rollout of the ‘Late Exit Model’ which uses indigenous language to help teach students on English and French in subjects in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu aims at sustaining its richly multilingual society, and Tamtam shares that since implementation educators are finding students learning concepts easier when their vernaculars are used to teach the subjects, and in later years get a good grasp of English and French.
Similarly, in the Solomons, Tanangada shares of two successful pilot projects which offered high benefits for the students’ learning.
In bilingual Samoa a five-year policy beginning this year is being rolled out, says Chu Ling-So’o.
The programme emphasises heavy use of the Samoan language to teach in the early stage, with the eventual inclusion and increase of English along the years.
This begins with using Samoan to teach in year-one, 90 percent Samoan and 10 percent English in year-two, and 50-50 by year-six.
Tokelau places value in both its languages, the Tokelauan language and English, says Lameta.
By year-seven teaching is in both the Tokelauan language and English.
Botibara shares although emphasis is on English as the language of teaching, the iKiribati language is used to help aid in child’s learning. English becomes prominent in senior levels.
Similarly, Tonga introduces English in the later part of year-three.
Besides keeping our new generations vernacular literate, cultural and traditional knowledge is being preserved by the Pacific education sector.
Botibara proudly shares ‘culture is not a problem’ in Kiribati because cultural and traditional etiquettes, characters, events and stories are used in all learning materials.
Tokelau also shares this, with Lameta expressing the Tokelau language as ‘the heart of our nation’ which along with their culture and values, defines them and gives them their identity.
Field trips, extra-curricula activities and cultural days help teach and remind students in Samoa of their culture. “Can never separate language from culture,” Chu Ling-So’o said.
Tanangada says same as Kiribati, Solomons use cultural knowledge in all learning materials.
In Vanuatu, Tamtam said positive changes have been observed in students confluent with language and culture learning.
Challenges
Policy and legislation is one key challenge shared throughout.
Former education minister Lanelle, who is hailed for championing the push for Solomon Islands to achieve its historic Education Act 2023, gives a glimpse of challenges faced on the political front, which involves a cocktail of priorities, will and support by donors and stakeholders.
Tokelau is operating on an 18-year-old policy, which Tamela believes needs a bit of fine tuning to adjust with the changes.
Teachers are key players with their own challenges, and along with limited resources, these challenges are in turn a challenge to the vernacular goal.
Employment of non-Tokelauan primary and secondary teachers to fill in the gap of low manpower is an incidental example, says Tamela.
Intimidation from parents who hold the stereotype that their kids are being sent to school to learn English lead some teachers in Samoa to relent, Chu Ling So’o adds.
And, being the elephant in the room for Solomons and Vanuatu, the proud heritage of having 70 and 108 living languages respectively is problematic.
This is an influential factor impeding the roll-out of a language-education programme successfully piloted in two communities in the Solomon Islands.
What next?
The loud message is to continue the good work, all is not lost as the benefits that are being seen with the current incorporating of vernacular in education systems is encouraging.
Tamtam said continue striving forward in this endeavour ‘to achieve the best possible education for our children’.
More engagement with media as partners is needed, added Chu Ling So’o.
More work needed to bridge the gap between the classroom and community, says participant Dr Kerryn Galokale, a leading Solomon Islands linguist.
She adds, work closely with tertiary education providers to train student teachers, bring in parents who want to help, be part of the vernacular project.
While being critical of the bureaucracy, USP Linguistics lecturer Rajendra Prasad said more awareness and consultation are needed.
The seminar was held on Wednesday, September 4.
It is understood next session will focus on language and culture.
