Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Kia Orana, Malo ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Ni sa bula vinaka, Greetings!
I spent 3 days in the July holidays at a Conference in Wellington titled: Carrying the Tapa.
The course was focused on assisting Non-Pasifika teachers in understanding the cultural context of
Pasifika children and students.
The Ministry of Education website says: “By working together, we can all be a part of a future where
Pasifika are enjoying educational success. Every young Pasifika student can be, and deserves to be,
part of this achievement.”
The course had these aims at the heart of it and focused on the children.
We explored the cultural context for understanding what specifically Pasifika is and what is specific
to each Pasifika nation in relation to family, church and community.
We listened to inspiring presentations from practitioners with successful outcomes and from
speakers who were agents of change. They discussed practices that have raised educational and
personal outcomes.
There were presentations on effective strategies for engaging with Pasifika students, parents and
families. This included developing good relationships with students, parents and communities.
There was a panel of Pasifika students who reinforced what several of the speakers had purported.
Pasifika parents from various Pasifika nations told their stories and also engaged in discussions with
course participants.
The parents spoke about their experiences, what worked well, what they felt were the weaknesses
within the education system and also ways in which they worked to overcome challenges and
barriers along the way.
Some of the key points were:
It is important to acknowledge Pasifika diversity and to identify the particular language and culture
the individual students are from. There are many similarities between the nations, but there are also
differences. These need to be explored in each specific situation.
The main values for Pasifika peoples are:
Respect, service, belonging, spirituality, leadership, love, family, reciprocity, inclusion and
relationships
Many times during the course the presenters emphasised these values and also the importance of
humour, and the major part that this plays in their lives.
They used the quote: “It takes a village to raise a child.” This was added to by saying “It takes a
system to raise and educate a child.”
In addition to this they also felt that “It is also important that the village stands up to support the
students.”
This lead to discussions about the importance of strong connections with Pasifika families. They
expressed ways to initiate positive engagement with parents, families and community. Trust and
connection are paramount within these relationships.
Further messages from presenters were to focus on the learners and have student focused
governance. Also, that all involved need to have high expectations that the students will succeed.
Attending the course reinforced to me many of the practices that I already engage in and also
clarified for me the way forward.
I am grateful that I had the opportunity to attend this conference and gain more awareness and
understanding of teaching Pasifika students. If you would like further information, please feel free to
contact me.
Andrea Paterson
Resource Teacher of Deaf Children – South Auckland team
Course: Carrying the Tapa: Run by TRCC - Teacher Refresher Course Committee