Vernacular education in the South Pacific Jeff Siegel

Bibliography: p. 193-214

World-wide research has clearly shown the educational, social, cultural and financial benefits of vernacular education - ie using the mother tongue or an already known language of wider communication in the education system. In all 12 South Pacific countries covered by this study vernaculars are used in some form of education but there are many differences among them. The Melanesian countries - Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu -have many characteristics in common: an extremely large number of vernacular languages, a widespread lingua franca (Melanesian Pidgin), very low adult literacy rates and low retention rates in the formal education system. In these countries, formal education has been solely in the ex-colonial language or languages (English and French).

Only Papua New Guinea has begun an official vernacular education program in the formal system, as of 1995. In reaction to the perceived need for children to learn their own language and culture and for adults to learn basic literacy, hundreds of small scale, community-based non-formal vernacular education programs have been established in Papua New Guinea and are now starting in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu as well. They are almost all run by non-government organizations. The success of these programs has. been shown both by widespread community support for them and by formal and informal evaluations by academics and educationists.

The non-formal vernacular programs in Melanesia require only modest funds, mainly for training and materials, and it is recommended that they be supported by providing funding through the non-government organizations which run them. In the case of Papua New Guinea, another important priority is to determine the relationship between the existing non-formal vernacular preschool programs and the new vernacular component of the reformed formal education system. For the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, it is suggested that vernacular education be considered for the formal system and that pilot programs be set up to examine the feasibility. The rest of the South Pacific countries to the east of Melanesia all use their vernaculars in education, but again there are many differences in policy and practice.

Vernacular education in the formal system is an official policy in each of the 9 countries considered here except Nauru. Most countries have only one vernacular, but Fiji has several. In Fiji, there is also some question as to whether the main vernaculars officially used in the education system are really known by students before they start school. In other countries, there are questions about whether various dialects of the vernacular should be used in education. Countries vary in the length of time the vernacular is used as the medium of instruction and as a subject of study - from 3 to 12 years in both cases.

They also vary in the balance between the vernacular and English - ranging from a purely transitional system, where the vernacular is seen mainly as a bridge to English, to a truly bilingual system, where the vernacular and English are given equal weight. In addition, countries have various policies on examinations; in some the vernacular is not a required subject on any exam while in others it is required through secondary school. The other South Pacific countries vary in their sizes and resources as well, and this is reflected in differences in the quantity and quality of teacher training and the availability of educational materials for use in the classroom. Because of vernacular education in the formal system and because of high rates of adult literacy, non-formal vernacular education for preschool children and adults is not as important in these 9 countries as it is in Melanesia.

However, in Fiji, the adult literacy rate is lower than that of the other 8 countries, and several non-government organizations working in this area do need funding. As the policies, practices and resources vary across the South Pacific countries outside Melanesia, so do the needs for vernacular education in the formal system and the funding requirements. It is clear, however, that all the countries need help in producing more vernacular reading materials. This is the top priority for funding. Many countries still need support for teacher training as well. It appears that large scale regional workshops and projects may no longer be the most efficient way to support vernacular education in the South Pacific. As shown in this report, the countries are at varying stages of development and have quite different priorities.

It may be more productive for funding agencies to deal directly with individual countries to meet their specific requirements. However, it may beneficial to fund an adviser/ trainer from the region to be available for countries that do not yet have their own expertise - for example, a Vernacular Education Adviser based at the Institute of Education or the Pacific Languages Unit of the University of the South Pacific. It may also be advisable to provide funding for the editing and publication of much needed vernacular materials through an established regional organization such as the Institute of Education. Specific recommendations for individual countries are given in the text of the report..5.2.1 1. Introduction
2. Regional developments
3. Papua New Guinea
4. Solomon Islands
5. Vanuatu
6. Cook Islands
7. Fiji
8. Kiribati
9. Nauri
10. Niue
11. Tokelau
12. Tonga
13. Tuvalu
14. Western Samoa
15. General conclusions.