Your privilege is not mine: A push for more Pasifika educators in the education system

Malia Pole’o (Vaini, Vava’u, Kolovai, Eua, Tonga)

As a young Pasifika woman, I am privileged. Encompassed with strong cultural values that are embedded in my identity. As a Pasifika learner, I am also privileged. Privileged with the opportunity my parents and grandparents did not have, to be educated. However, as a Pasifika learner in a predominantly westernised education system, I have witnessed the extent to which this system favours the majority, and neglects the ways of learning of the minority. Yet, no matter how high I value my identity and my people, it continues to be a part of me that is devalued amongst society because as a minority in this westernised culture our narratives are created by the ideas of the majority. This is the issue we must address, and as a collective influence a change to the system and encourage our Pasifika peoples to insert themselves into the system, and become educators within all levels of education for all Pasifika learners.

Throughout my own educational journey, I have learned that there is no power more powerful than the power of the people, that is for their people. Thus, encouraging me to assert my agency and create my own narrative, with the utmost respect that was passed on to me from my ancestors, to challenge Western ideologies, and examine why there must be a push for more ethnically diverse educators within the system, to cater to the cultural differences of the minority, especially us as Pasifika learners. The Pasifika population in New Zealand has the highest growth rate of any ethnic group, however, as the population of our people and the percentages of Pasifika learners continues to grow, there continues to be a low number of Pacific teachers within our education system. In 2007, Pacific teachers made up only 2.8 percent of the teaching workforce, while 9.6 percent of state school students were Pacific. Although percentages of Pacific teachers increased by 24 percent in 2002, there continues to be a lack of Pacific representation in the teaching sector.

I will acknowledge that we play a role in changing these statistics, and that it is up to our own people to influence this change and as Pasifika people we must be encouraged by these confronting statistics and help influence change for our own, and future generations. But, what the system needs to understand is that these statistics can also discourage Pasifika peoples, whose career pathways are heavily influenced by seeing our own people in the same field. It is also societal views of Pasifika that act as a barrier and discourage some. Derogatory stereotypes that perpetuate negative stereotypes on Pasifika peoples, labelling Pasifika peoples as uneducated, lazy, and unmotivated, often making us feel like they do not belong in these spaces. However, it is what more Pacific teachers in the system can provide that must be vocalised throughout our education system.

It is things like a sense of cultural acknowledgement, where we as Pasifika learners would not have to explain why we need an extension because of a funeral in our family, or why we can not cut our afros because they are deemed as “messy”, as there are ceremonial protocols thats some of our Pasifika aiga respect and follow. A push for Pasifika educators also means that Pasifika learners can make important cultural connections to those of similar experiences and values, therefore the system must acknowledge that all educators must understand the importance of cultural awareness and how much impact this can have on students. It is also the positive change in Pacific student achievement—which is commonly known to be amongst the lowest percentages within the statistics that more Pasifika educators can influence, which must be understood to create more job opportunities and inspire aspiring Pasifika educators.

Although the stories of Pasifika migration differ between families, one thing that is commonly shared amongst our Parents and Grandparents is the idea that education is the key to being successful in this new land. Like my Father always says, “Tokanga Ki he ako, pea mo lotu”, which means “focus on school and church”. As a Tongan, and as a Pasifika, these are two integral aspects that are embedded into my life and identity. As part of the Pacific generations today, I have a shared responsibility to continue to insert all aspects of my cultural identity throughout my educational journey, and life to help change the system. I hope to one day become a teacher, one who nurtures the va between our different Pasifika cultures, one that acknowledges the ethnic backgrounds of all my students, and one who educates Pasifika learners like myself about the importance of embracing our culture and the importance to continue our cultural traditions and practices, as well as educate everyone about who I am, and what it really means to be a Tongan, Pasifika in New Zealand.

You, too, are privileged. Privileged, because as part of the dominant groups of society you are surrounded by many people who look like you. Making you the majority, and I the minority. However, it is the privilege of my cultural identity that has embedded a sense of humility, and respect for my own, through the passing of different stories and traditions that we as Pasifika educators of society must continue to perpetuate and share for generations to come. As Albert Wendt demonstrates within The Adventures of Vela, “We can’t rewalk the exact footprints we make in the stories of our lives but we’ll hear again our footprints like the lullabies our parents sang us the moment our stories end, perhaps out of our footprints our children will nurse wiser lullabies”.