Inclusive Education in the Pacific is the sixth publication in the PRIDE Project’s Pacific Education Series. About the editors Inclusive Education in the Pacific is an This latest publication is an outcome of PRIDE’s eighth regional workshop held Inclusive Education outcome of a regional workshop Priscilla Puamau is Team Leader in Nadi, Fiji from 1st – 5th October, 2007. PRIDE worked in close partnership held in Nadi, Fiji from 1-5 October 2007 in close of the PRIDE Project at the with five other development partners and the Fiji Ministry of Education in the University of the South Pacific. partnership with the Fiji Ministry of planning, implementation and funding of this workshop on inclusive education. in the Pacific Education and five other regional Having completed her education partners—PIFS, PREL, SPBEA, up to Master’s level at USP, Priscilla The workshop was attended by a total of 44 people: regional participants from 13 UNESCO and UNICEF. It was received a PhD in Education from PRIDE’s eighth regional workshop. the University of Queensland. She Forum countries and Tokelau, resource persons, representatives from the seven Edited by began her career as a secondary partners and three observers. Priscilla Puamau and Frances Pene The workshop was attended by school teacher of English and a total of 44 participants. They has worked for the Fiji Ministry The book contains 14 chapters, written by the workshop resource people, include 24 regional participants of Education in various other participants and presenters. The topics range from the philosophical from 13 Forum countries and capacities, including Head of underpinnings of inclusive education to practical guidelines for inclusive practices Education in the Pacific Inclusive Tokelau—high level decision- Languages and Senior Education in schools, with a special focus on the education of children with disabilities. makers and experts from national Officer (Fijian Education). She was Ministries of Education working in the area of inclusive education, and also a teacher educator at the Fiji Chapter 1 contains the opening speech of the workshop given by the Fiji College of Advanced Education key non-governmental stakeholders where she served as Head of Permanent Secretary for Education, Ms Emi Rabukawaqa. This is followed by a engaged in supporting inclusive Education, Vice Principal and chapter that describes how the PRIDE Project is assisting countries to implement education; resource persons; Principal. Her areas of interest the sections of their education strategic plans that relate to the education of representatives from the seven partners and three observers. include teacher education, values children and youths with disabilities. Chapters 3 and 4 draw on international education, indigenous education literature on inclusive education and demonstrate two sides in the inclusive The book contains 14 chapters and moral/ethical leadership. education versus special education debate. written by the workshop resource people, participants and presenters. Frances Pene was born in Chapters 5 to 7 provide comprehensive coverage of the international and regional The topics range from the England and obtained her tertiary philosophical underpinnings of qualifications at the University of conventions concerning the education of people with disabilities, and guidelines inclusive education to practical Newcastle upon Tyne and London for their inclusion in national education systems are covered in Chapter 6, guidelines for inclusive practices University. She has spent all her narrowing down to the education of children and youths with vision impairments in schools, focusing specifically working life in Fiji. For many years in Chapter 7. on the education of children with she was a secondary school teacher disabilities. There are two chapters in which the voice of a parent and of English in schools across Fiji, The voices of two key inclusive education stakeholders—a parent and a disabled after which she moved into the field that of an NGO are heard; three of teacher training, working for four people’s association—are provided in Chapters 8 and 9, followed by three case case studies of inclusive education years at the Fiji College of Advanced studies on the practice of inclusive education in Samoa, Tonga and Palau. The provision in Tonga, Samoa and Education. Then came a career insights gathered by the workshop ‘critical friend’ and workshop evaluator are Palau; and the workshop outcomes document containing strategies to change and she is currently an presented in Chapter 13. The final chapter is the workshop outcomes document. advance inclusive education in the editor at the Institute of Education, This includes specific suggestions for strategies to move inclusive education Pacific at the regional, national and USP. She has authored and co- forward in the Pacific region at three levels: regional, national and school. school levels. authored school texts, and edited The PRIDE Project many academic books and journals. This book is intended primarily for providers, practitioners, academics, Inclusive education providers, Pacific Education Series No.6 practitioners, academics, professionals, teacher educators, policy-makers, disabled persons’ associations, 2009 professionals, teacher educators, NGOs and researchers engaged in the areas of inclusive education and the policy-makers, disabled people’s education of children with disabilities. associations, NGOs and researchers in the areas of inclusive education and the education of children with disabilities will find this book useful. EUROPEAN UNION The PRIDE Project is financed by the European Union and NZAID through the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and implemented by the Institute of Education at USP. Inclusve Educaton in the Pacific The PRIDE Project Institute of Education University of the South Pacific Pacific Education Series: No. 1 Educational Planning in the Pacific: Principles and Guidelines Edited by Priscilla Puamau and G. R. (Bob) Teasdale No. 2 Financing of Education: a Pacific Perspective [CD-ROM] No. 3 Pacific Voices: Teacher Education on the Move Edited by Priscilla Puamau No. 4 The Basics of Learning: Literacy and Numeracy in the Pacific Edited by Priscilla Puamau and Frances Pene No. 5 Early Childhood Care and Education in the Pacific Edited by Priscilla Puamau and Frances Pene Inclusve Educaton in the Pacific Edited by Priscilla Puamau and Frances Pene Pacific Education Series No. 6 ___________________________________ Institute of Education University of the South Pacific 2009 © Institute of Education, University of the South Pacific, 2009 Layout: Frances Pene, USP Institute of Education Cover design: Detlef Blumel, USP Media Centre, Graphics Section Proofreading: Priscilla Puamau, PRIDE Project Team Leader, and Frances Pene Photographs: The photo on the title page was taken by Rachel Brindal, an AusAID volunteer at the Saleilua Primary School, Samoa. It shows Sina Eteuati, who was trained and employed under the PRIDE Inclusive Education subproject in Samoa, teaching a group of Year 4 students a song in sign language. The photo on the front cover was taken by Priscilla Puamau. It shows Tuilaepa Malielegaoi, Principal of Fugalii School, Luaiva Solomona, a teacher aide, and, in her lap, Luisa, a Year 1 student who is deaf. The other students are Year 1 students. The group photo on page 177 was taken by Agfa Photography. USP Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Inclusive education in the Pacific / edited by Priscilla Puamau and Frances Pene. – Suva, Fiji : Institute of Education, The University of the South Pacific, 2009. 193 p. : col. ill. ; 21 cm. – (Pacific Education Series no. 6) ISBN 978-982-01-0856-1 1. Educational planning Oceania Congresses. 2. Educational accountability Oceania Congresses. I. Puamau, Priscilla Qolisaya. II.Pene, Frances. III. The University of the South Pacific. Institute of Education. IV. Title. V. Series: Pacific Education Series. LC 71 .2 .I52 2009 371.207 Printed by Quality Print Ltd. v Preface This is the sixth publication in the Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of basic Education (PRIDE) Project’s Pacific Education Series, published by the Institute of Education, University of the South Pacific. The book is an outcome of the regional workshop on inclusive education (IE) that was a collaborative effort between the PRIDE Project, five other development partners—Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA), UNESCO and UNICEF—and the Fiji Ministry of Education. The workshop was held from 1st to 5th October 2007 in Nadi, Fiji. Another exciting outcome of this regional workshop was the opportunity to influence policy. A list of recommendations was presented to the Forum Ministers of Education meeting held in Auckland in November 2007 which were endorsed and have subsequently been added to the Forum Basic Education Action Plan. We are grateful to many people for making this book possible. First, we thank the local, regional and international resource people, participants and development partners—champions of IE—whose names are included at the back of the book. In particular, we acknowledge the expertise and input from Frederick Miller (PIFS), Setareki Macanawai (Pacific Disabilities Forum – PDF) and Penelope Price (international IE consultant), who provided much-needed guidance on the content and structure of the workshop. Many thanks also go to the development