Fijians in Australian Education

Rodney Berry

Rev Paula Tekei is the minister of the 500-strong Fijian congregation, which meets in the Sydney suburb of Annandale. One of the many ethnic churches which fall under the umbrella of the Uniting Church in Australia, the congregation draws Fijians from all over Sydney. Mr Tekei kindly agreed to share some of this thoughts on being Fijian in Australia, and how this relates to education.

Education in Fiji

Before the missionaries came to Fiji, education was "informal, organized by the village. It was a communally-centred type of education, applicable and delivered to the survival of the society". Knowledge was passed on by the elders. The missionaries, said Mr Tekei, misunderstood this education as being "uncivilized" as "they did not perceive the importance of in-situation training". The missionaries brought the attitude that, "in order to be civilized you have to adopt Western civilization". Most of what was learnt was "inapplicable" and "irrelevant, because they were learning the things that were not useful to society as such".

Mr Tekei, who grew up in Vanua Levu, Fijis second largest island, experienced an education involving eight years at primary school and three years at secondary school, before going on to tertiary studies. He argues that "in the South Pacific there are very few who have vision, and who have the courage to sit down and design an applicable and relevant education system". Education, he felt, has become highly politicized in Fiji, and that if someone strongly pressed for an indigenizing of the curriculum, it would be shouted down as a retrograde step. Sadly, he felt that "quite a substantial number of things taught by the education system at the moment throughout the South Pacific are irrelevant".

Migration experiences

Mr Tekei identified a number of adaptions required by Fijians moving to Australia. Time, he said, is all-important in Australian society, where Fijians tended to be more relaxed with time. In contrast to the ethic of the accumulation of wealth "human beings and relationships are much more important (in Fiji) your money is not yours, but your familys". He felt that in Australia, one needed to be more aggressive, and that "you go to school just because you are looking for work and expecting to get much money". In Fiji, he said people primarily go to school to learn. If one obtained a tertiary degree it was "a matter of prestige", more than for economic gain. Australians use their minds more, he also said, whereas in Fiji, there is a "complacency", it is a "carefree sort of society". Here (in Australia) you need to be able to communicate in order to survive".

Experiences in adjusting to the Australian society were varied amongst Mr Tekeis congregation. He considered that his family had adapted very well, especially commenting that his children "like it very much". Despite having worked for the Uniting Church for over 18 months, however, he felt that he was still treated as somewhat of an outsider in ministerial circles, in contrast to the closeness he felt with fellow clergy in Fiji. Amongst his parishioners, many found the first year of adjustment a great struggle, especially in financial terms. Many would not be able to afford an air ticket home even if they wanted to return to Fiji. "Quite a substantial number of them who live in Sydney are unemployed and still need to have the official papers". Mr Tekei cited as one of the reasons for such unemployment as racism in the workplace: in economically hard times, he noted, foreigners are the ones who are retrenched. But also, many Fijian Immigrants are unskilled. Only a handful had any tertiary qualifications, in fact many did not finish their schooling. Many had come as stowaways, seeking a "good life", a "brighter future" or for health reasons.

The crisis of identity

Mr Tekei remarked of the teenage members of his congregation that "I dont think they are well adapted to Australian society". Psychologically, he said, they are taught to become Fijians, normally speaking their parents language in the home. The mixing with other children at school left many of them very confused. "The choice is there between two societies, and they couldnt [sic] make up their mind which one it will be." Many in the senior youth group had dropped out of TAFE courses "because of the confusion of adaption". The problem Mr Tekei felt, was that once one stayed in Australia for too long, it would be impossible to re-adapt to Fijian society. Fellow-Fijians would treat them as foreigners if they returned with their newly-acquired attitudes. He saw the Ethnic Affairs Department as having a more major role in helping Fijians adapt to Australian society.

Current experiences of education

By-and-large Mr Tekei has been very impressed with what he has seen of education in Australia. He feels his children are learning relevant things if they are intending to live in Australia. He likes the fact that the education system encourages creativity, and that his children are able to participate in school excursions. The content of the NSW syllabus he also feels, has a "very wide coverage" and has "depth and relevance".

Accommodating Fijians in the NSW education system

Mr Tekei gave three major suggestions for ways in which the NSW education system could better accommodate South Pacific Islanders in schools:

1. Teachers need to be made more aware of the differences between Australia and the cultures of the South Pacific islands. Many teachers mistakenly treat South Pacific children as though they are exactly the same as the other children.

2. There is a very real need for extra tutoring after school hours to enable Fijian children to cope with their studies, especially in the mathematics and science areas. A social worker is needed to organise this, as the Fijian community itself lacks the resources.

3. Perhaps most importantly, there needs to be made available a counselling service to enable Fijian adolescents to decide what they really want to do with their lives. In contrast to the complacency which many Fijian students in Australia exhibit, they should be pressed to decide earlier on as to whether they will remain in Australia after completing their schooling, or return to Fiji.