|
|
EDUCATION AND TRADITION IN RURAL FIJI
by Sarah Ahart
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Methods
- Chapter 2: Background Concepts: History of Education in Fiji
- Chapter 3: Penang Sangam High School: Striving Towards Modernization
- Chapter 4: Nakauvadra High School: "Strive to Be Happy"
- Chapter 5: Students
- Chapter 6: Conclusion
- References
Fiji Term Abroad
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The study of an aspect of the education system in Fiji is very complicated. I have only touched upon a few issues that the country is currently struggling with. The only way that I was able to collect as much information as I did was because of the help of so many people.
My interests in children and education have stemmed from my parents. Both have been very active in the education of their children and in the education system in general, my mother on a primary and secondary level and my father on a tertiary level. Their support, along with my sisters and brother, have given me the interest, courage and drive to come to Fiji to enhance my education.
Steve Leavitt and Karen Brison, both professors at Union College where I am a student, have not only provided me with the opportunity to come to Fiji, but also with the interest and excitement of anthropology. They have also given me courage to continue my studies in Fiji and the chance to find the anthroplogist in me and to enhance that side of me. Debbie Cederbaum and Amber Johnston gave me a taste of home, companionship and support as we made this trip together.
In addition to this support, my research could not have been conducted without the help of the Ministry of Education and the Senior Education Officer of Ra province, Mr. Cakacaka. Most arrangements were made through Mr. Cakacaka, and he guided me to Penang Samgam High School and Nakauvadra High School which proved to be the main sources of my information. The principal, vice-principal and assistant principal at Penang guided me to understanding the ideals and goals of the schools by allowing me to talk with their teachers and students and observe classes. At Nakauvadra, the principal and the heads of department were helpful in the same ways, taking time to make sure that I understood what the school stands for. By providing me with this, the schools allowed me to gather the information I found relevant to piece together this paper.
Top of Chapter |
Ahart Table of Contents | Fiji Term Abroad
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Every member of a culture, group, or sub-group conducts himself based on the cognitive models of his environment. He uses the social structure and his conceptual ideas of his place in the world to determine his actions. These cognitive models are dictated by the society in which he lives. It is not surprising that many societies produce conflicting ideologies as different sub-groups influence other groups. Fiji is a country that is considered to be one of the more advanced and generally better off island groups of the South Pacific. From a world perspective, Fiji is still a third world country (economically speaking) that is slowly struggling towards modernization. These two different views, a world view and a South Pacific view, have created a dichotomy in the country as well as in the South Pacific. All over the South Pacific, countries are struggling to become advanced and out of the third or fourth world category while at the same time trying to hold on to their identity.
As a result, Fiji is a country torn between its ancestral ways of living and becoming a modern country. Because of this, a dichotomy has been formed in the area of education. Fijians have been faced with a dilemma. On one hand, to improve the standard of living in the country and become more modern, Fijians think they must be better educated. However, in becoming more educated, Fijians must leave their villages where their families are located and their land which supports the family. Other Fijians find it more important to remain in the villages with their families and plantations, to live in a way similar to that of their ancestors. Herein lies the dilemma: which is better? Is it better to be educated, or is it better to "live your culture?"
In reality, it cannot be determined which is better. For some Fijians, it is better to be educated. For others, it is better to stay in the village with their family. Every individual realizes at some level that one way is not "better" than the other. However, based on personal experiences and knowledge, most Fijians do take one position. As a result, two distinct cognitive models of success have been formulated throughout the Rakiraki area, and these likely correspond generally with similar models elsewhere in the country. One is the idea that to be successful, one must be educated, earn a degree from a tertiary institution to become "marketable" in the job market, and find a job that pays enough to "make one happy." The other is the idea that success revolves around maintaining a continuity with the ways of the past, with the cultural values that find their best expression in village life. In this view, children should continue their education through the secondary level. Their education should not be focused on continuing their education, but rather on practical skills that can be taken back to the villages to continue the more traditional ways of living. This is also considered a successful way of living. The difference in the two cognitive models of success is an issue being considered carefully today by the Ministry of Education in Fiji, where different stands are being taken due to personal cognitive models, and an answer cannot be easily determined.
The Ministry's concern with the value of living in harmony with tradition has its origins in recent calls by Pacific scholars for a return to precepts underlying their view of an essential Pacific identity. They argue, for example, that people should choose traditional ties of kinship over a more "modern" ambition to simply make money. N. Rika, in his article, "Is Kinship Costly?" (1975), discusses the issue of an expanding kinship system that seems to be demanding more and more from educated, working people. He argues that the support kin provide is still essential for a person from the Pacific. Rika is supported by L. Vusoniwailala in his article "Communication, Social Identity and the Rising Cost of Fijian Communalism" (n.d.). Rika and Vusoniwailala agree that kinship ties and the importance of family outweigh the importance of money and advancement in the work force. Vusoniwailala suggests:
...clearer pictures should come from better thinking. Fijians need to be more analytical about what they want, need and mean. They need to be better informed about the forces around them. They need an exchange of ideas amongst themselves and with friends who care about their development, so that they can reach a stage whereby, if they wish, they are able to decide which traditions to retain, which to modify and which to discard. [Vusoniwailala n.d.]
In making these decisions, the people involved are living their ideology of the Pacific way, the Fijian way, or fa'a Samoa, the Samoan way. These are broad, somewhat vague terms aimed at capturing some essential qualities of life in the Pacific Island societies before colonization. In taking an active role in the decision making, people are able to have a better control of what happens to their traditions and customs and how they are integrated into the more modern way of living.
Nevertheless, many Fijians today are feeling trapped between their cultural and ancestral ties and modernization. Asesela Ravuvu discusses these issues in "Contradictory Ideologies and Development." In considering traditionalism and modernism, Ravuvu writes, "Modernism and Fijian traditionalism have, since contact with the outside world, existed side by side and continue to challenge or undermine each other and boggle the minds of Fijian leaders and commoners alike" (Ravuvu 1987: 230). If Fijians begin to follow the advice of Vusoniwailala to make some decisions on tradition and modernization, conflicts between the ideologies Ravuvu considers may be lessened. The same process of deliberation over tradition and modernization should underlie discussions of the future of Fiji's education system.
Fijians are slowly coming to terms with the fact that in the world view, they are often still considered "uncivilized," especially as the nickname "The Cannibal Isles" is still associated with them. While there is a difference in the tensions between tradition and modernization and success and third world status, many of the feelings and attitudes are shared. When the missionaries introduced Christianity and education to Fiji, traditional ways such as worshipping the Vu (ancestral gods) and cannibalism were considered primitive and uncivilized. Today, other countries can assume similar primitiveness and lack of civilization because Fiji is a third world country with less money and fewer luxuries than many others. The natural tendency to want to improve a standing that is so low is pulling Fijians to move towards modernization. According to M. Meleisea, "The uncritical acceptance of the ideology of Development leads us to demolish our traditional institutions and create new ones in the expectation that our economies will grow and that we will all be better off" (Meleisea 1987: 147). Some people are able to recognize the demolition of traditions and are trying to hold on to their identity and continue with the ancestral ways of living. This focus is not only on tradition, but also on "custom." R.M. Keesing explores the issue by saying, "The power of ways enjoined by ancestors is greater than the power of rules created by contemporary humans; even though in Melanesia humans may edit, interpret, alter, or invent rules as kastom (custom), the rules are accorded ancestral legitimacy" (Keesing 1982: 299). R. Tonkinson also discusses Melanesian custom and its relationship with Christianity in "Custom in Melanesia: Introduction" (1982) as well as similar ideas on Vanuatu, another South Pacific island.
Taking into account all of the issues raised by scholars of the South Pacific ranging from Christianity to kastom to new ideologies, one can find the issue which underlies them all. It deals with the future of education in the face of modernization. All of the most developed and wealthy countries of the world (the most "successful" countries) have the highest standards for education and success. Thus, it is only natural for a developing country to model itself after a successful, modern country. And, because it appears that education is a key factor in the success of a country, a developing country would only want to improve their levels and standards of education. At the same time, opportunities for students remain limited. Those that cannot enter the white collar work force need to retain a strong sense of identity in the village context. As a result, administrators have begun stressing an alternative education based on village skills and values. These two views of a successful education, one valuing a preparation for highly skilled jobs and the other emphasizing agrarian skills and traditional culture, are reflected in the two high schools discussed in this paper. In my view, it is in the end important to offer the choice, so that each individual student can help choose a future which best suits him or her.
Top of Chapter |
Ahart Table of Contents | Fiji Term Abroad
Methods
Taking into consideration the development of Fiji as a country, I was interested in the attitudes towards continuing education and its connection to success. Thus, my project focuses on education and its relationship to cognitive models of success. I decided to conduct a series of interviews with different categories of people--teachers, education officials, parents, and students--on their views of education would be the most efficient method of attaining the information I needed. In addition to interviewing, I conducted an economic survey in a village and discovered the burdens of education such as uniform and transportation fees. I also observed some classes in two high schools as well as attending the first day of a three day workshop sponsored by the Ministry of Education and UNICEF geared towards educators and members of the community.
Because my project would include success models, I decided that focusing on secondary education and continuing onto tertiary education would be most beneficial. I interviewed several primary school teachers to find how secondary education is stressed to the younger students. However, I focused most of my efforts on two high schools, the teachers, administrators and students, as well as the Ministry of Education. The two high schools were chosen because of their reputations. I wanted to have some basis for comparison, and these schools had different academic standards and philosophies about the education provided for their students. Some other interviewing was done in the village as my host mother is a primary school teacher, and the oldest of her four children is completing Form 4 while the second child is completing Class 8 and deciding where to go to secondary school. I did not conduct formal interviews with any members of my host family, but through informal conversation I was able to get a good idea of their attitudes and ideas of continuing education and being a successful person.
I conducted seven formal interviews at Penang Sangam High School (a mostly Indian high school), four formal interviews at Nakauvadra High School (a mostly Fijian high school), and two formal interviews at Rakiraki Methodist Primary School (multi-racial). Most interviews were recorded by a mini cassette recorder. Not every interviewee was comfortable with the idea of being recorded. In these three instances, notes were taken during the interview and the recorder was put aside. An interview with the Senior Education Officer of the Ra province was also conducted and recorded. I spoke with him several times throughout my stay and was able to come up with a good idea of his views on education and success as a person and as a representative of the Ministry of Education. In addition to these interviews, I attended the first day of a three day workshop sponsored by the Ministry of Education and UNICEF on bettering the physical and learning conditions of local primary schools. The main idea of the workshop was that students need a more practical education in a rural area like Ra. In addition to basic skills such as English, math, geography and science, other skills such as fishing, farming, sewing and baking should be implemented in the lesson plans. This way, students will have some skill to build on when they return to the village and can be a contributing citizen. Those students who would like to continue their education after secondary school to go into a professional field are encouraged to move to a city for their secondary education to prepare them better. The workshop was beneficial as I witnessed discussions on local education issues as presented by educators, administrators, health officials and members of the community.
A combination of interviews and talking informally to people for ten weeks gave me a wide range of issues to discuss regarding education. There is an obvious tension within the education system right now concerning urban and rural areas and continuing education. These are topics which are currently being debated on the basis of cognitive success models.
Top of Chapter |
Ahart Table of Contents | Fiji Term Abroad
|
|
