Dressed in a colourful array that blended traditional Pacific Island finery and academic formal attire, 57 Faculty of Education graduates were overjoyed to cross the stage of the Town Hall this week to receive their Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) Pacific Islands.
A total of 1003 students graduated from the Faculty of Education this Autumn, with degrees and diplomas in Education, Social Work, TESSOL, Huarahi Maori specialisation, and special teaching needs.
The Pacific Island ECE graduates included women from Samoa, Tonga, Niue and the Cook Islands, along with one male from the Cook Islands. The majority of the group earned their qualification at the University’s Epsom Campus; however 12 of the graduates studied in Tokoroa, where they enrolled in a pilot programme aimed at raising the number of qualified ECE teachers in the area.
For many of these graduates, returning to study as mature students has been a huge challenge but their hard work and dedication has reaped tangible results that will benefit Pacific Island communities. Most acknowledge that they could not have completed the three year full-time or four-year part time programme without the encouragement and support of their extended families.
Established in 2000, the Diploma of Teaching (ECE) Pasific Islands gives graduates the knowledge, skills and professional base for working in centres with a large number of Pasifika children. Learning tools for teaching are emphasised across the areas of literacy, numeracy, Pasifika languages and culture, and many of the courses embrace the different cultures, values and heritage of Pasifika people. Students in the diploma programme are encouraged to speak in their native tongues, and some courses use both English and Pasifika languages in their instruction.
"Our programme celebrates the diversity of Pasifika languages, cultures and traditions—and we want our students to celebrate these traditions with their young students," says programme coordinator Patisepa Tuafuti.
Dr John Langley, Dean of the Faculty of Education agrees that providing specialised programmes like this is a valuable contribution to the quality and multicultural diversity of early childhood education.
"The Faculty of Education has a long and valued relationship with our Pasifika communities. This year’s graduates will no doubt go on to share their skills and knowledge with these communities and continue this tradition of education and respect."
The Diploma of Teaching (ECE) PI is a legacy programme and the University now offers the Bachelor of Education (Teaching) Early Childhood Education Pasifika Specialisation and the Diploma of Teaching (ECE) Pasifika Specialisation to continue in this tradition.
As of 2012, the Ministry of Education will require all Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers to have a formal ECE qualification and to be registered. This years Pacific Islands ECE graduates will help fill the current demand for qualifiied Pasifika ECE teachers both in bilingual services and in general early childhood services.
Read the Manukau Courier story on Nooapii Tangata Grandad learns to teach.
