Transcript
AMANDA BLAS - In our last commission meeting we actually had the Guam Department of Education gave a framework for curriculum on how we can incorporate the idea of self-determination, decolonisation into our local curriculum. We now will be moving on to having a working session later this week, where we can discuss the curriculum framework more. The framework they presented during the meeting was a long-term project. That means that it will go from kindergarten all the way to the high school students. Right now the commission is also looking at the possibility of strictly targeting high school students who will be able to vote for the plebiscite when the self-determination vote does happen, so like I said, we are in the middle of a working session, nothing has been finalised, but we have some great ideas and a bunch of the commission members and of course Guam's department of education are working together to really help see this through.
SELA JANE AHOLELEI - Has there been much consultation with the communities in Guam? What has been the response from them?
AB - Well we've heard a lot of excitement. A lot of times we don't see self-determination and the Guam perspective of self-determination in the history lesson and in the social studies lesson, so we've heard excitement about this possible addition. We've also heard some concerns about making it a long-term project. As I mentioned the curriculum that was presented at the last meeting covers kindergarten all the way to high school, so we have heard some concerns about long-term and whether we should focus right now on just the high school students who will be able to vote coming up, so we've heard these concerns and these comments and we'll definitely be using these at the working session we'll be having later this week.
SJA - Why include the younger levels of education such as kindergarten?
AB - Well for example right now of course when they are in kindergarten they start getting to know that who their president is and they also get the idea that they are not able to vote and they start to understand the concept of what Guam's political status is, so it starts laying the framework when starting with kindergarten and as they get older, first grade, second grade, third grade, they learn a little more all the way up to the self-determination discussion in high school.
SJA - Would this be a completely new subject?
AB - Yeah, the draft curriculum framework that was presented, it's not like we're creating a new class strictly off self-determination, but it will build on existing courses we already have, for example history, social studies, these classes that these authorities take so it's an addition to help incorporate Guam's history.
