~Eng below~

Vortrag: Decolonizing Education in Vanuatu & anschließende Weihnachtsfeier der Österreichisch-Südpazifischen Gesellschaft (OSPG)
für Mitglieder & alle Interessierten!

Am 09.12.25 erwartet euch eine besondere Weihnachtsfeier der OSPG: Pierre Metsan (National University of Vanuatu) und Adeline Mweleul (Ministry of Education and Training, Vanuatu) sprechen über die Dekolonisierung des Bildungssystems in Vanuatu und die Integration von indigenem Wissen und Praktiken. Anschließend gibt es vom OSPG selbst gekochtes Bougna/Umu, eine traditionelle pazifische Spezialität, begleitet von Musik und Raum für Austausch.

Um Anmeldung wird gebeten: OSPG Weihnachtsfeier Tickets, Tue, Dec 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite 

Start: 18 Uhr


~Eng~

On 09.12.25, a special OSPG Christmas celebration awaits you: Pierre Metsan (National University of Vanuatu) and Adeline Mweleul (Ministry of Education and Training, Vanuatu) will speak about Decolonizing school education in Vanuatu by integrating Indigenous knowledge and practices (more info see link below). Afterwards the OSPG invites everyone to a cosy Christmas-Party with a homemade Bougna/Umu, a traditional Pacific specialty, where among other things, it`s also possible to talk to the speakers.

Please register: OSPG Weihnachtsfeier Tickets, Tue, Dec 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite 

Start: 6:00 PM

Informations about the Lecture: 
held by Pierre Metsan (National University of Vanuatu (NUV), Vanuatu) and
Adeline Mweleul (Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), Vanuatu):
Decolonizing school education in Vanuatu by integrating Indigenous knowledge and practices School education has been introduced in Vanuatu during colonial times. There is still a huge gap between the daily life of students and the educational system – a disconnection between local Indigenous knowledge and practices on the one site, and school education on the other.
Schooling is not compulsory in Vanuatu, and in 2022, 73% of the children were sent to primary school. However, only 1.7% of the country’s total population has a university degree. There are several obstacles which explain the difficulties, and language is one of them. School education takes place in the colonial langue, either in English or in French. But more than 120 Indigenous languages are spoken on the around 80 islands of Vanuatu, representing a challenge for schooling.
Vanuatu increasingly recognizes the value of Indigenous knowledge and practices by integrating them into the reformed national curriculum. While partly developed by a private American company, the curriculum promotes “Western” knowledge alongside traditional practices such as dances, agriculture, and sand drawing.
This paper investigates the major challenges of Vanuatu’s educational system, and explains the efforts made for the integration of Indigenous knowledge and practices in schooling. The authors plead for locally adapted curricula and continued training of teachers.

Further event Infos:  https://ospg.univie.ac.at/weihnachtsfeier-decolonizing-education-in-vanuatu-pazifisches-essen/