6 Jul 2012

"Mismatch of values" in Pasifika education - lecturer

7:39 am on 6 July 2012

The Association of Pasifika Staff in Tertiary Education wants to institutionalise

a Pacific pedagogy in teaching and learning strategies to improve student achievement in New Zealand.

At its annual conference in Dunedin, APSTE is holding dicussions about the performance and experiences of Pasifika tertiary students across the country.

A speaker at the conference says that statistics across all levels of education in New Zealand put Pacific students at the bottom level of achievement.

A Senior Lecturer in Education at Wellington's Victoria University, Cherie Chu, says the tertiary system works in a way that is against Pacific beliefs.

"There's a mismatch between values, for example in tertiary learning it's very individualised, competitive. Yet we emphasise a lot of own informal learning at home on collaborative, more togetherness, and less competition, less individualistic."