tupuliteracy

=Tupu and Folauga Resource=

Official Information Act Material

The NZ Ministry of Education confirmed today the14 September that it has been instructed by Government (2009 Budget decision MoE website) to cease producing the TUPU Pasifika languages series from the end of this year (See MoE letter attached or below). The Ministry is calling it a pause, (spin) but documents and statements about the **single priority of literacy in English only** make it clear it intends ceasing production indefinitely- The fact is there will be no more Pacific language reading materials for the indefinite future or until a change of Government as **according to the Minister of Education and the Ministry of Education- literacy in a Pacific language does not contribute to the academic advancement of Pacific students in our schools**. This redefinition of literacy as only literacy in English is professionally a very retrograde step (See the USA English Only movement; Crawford 2007, 2008, 2009; May 2009). In addition a letter from the Minister of Education indicates she intends to withdraw all Ministry work and support for Pacific Language Bilingual Education and make ALL costs involved charged to a schools operations grant. This includes PD and research
 * New Zealand Ministry of Education Ceases Production of the TUPU & FOLUGA Series Pacific Island Reading Materials Indefinitely. **

The TUPU series are Pacific language readers for beginners in a range of Pacific languages ages 5- 14 yrs. Folunga is a School Journal type reader age 9 yrs – 16 yrs. They include materials in Samoan, Tongan; Cook Is Maori, Niuean and Tokelau. According to the recent Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples NZ recently signed and the proposed Human Rights Commission National Languages Policy, the Cook Is Maori, Niuean and Tokelau languages need to be recognized as minority protected Indigenous languages of the NZ Realm and NZ is obliged to protect and support them. This includes their use **in the** Cooks, Niue and Tokelau themselves which are all part of the legal Realm of NZ governed by the Queen of NZ (See NZ Governor General’s website). For the full legal, constitutional and research background to the current state of pacific languages in the legal Realm NZ, see the current edition of //Alternative Journal// //6(//2) //Special Pacific Edition// pub. Sept 22, 2010 and also available on line through institutional subs at [|www.maramatanga.co.nz/] and later on **EBSCO Host data base** (See also work of Professor Stephen May, University of Auckland 2001, 2008).

**The TUPU series is vital importance to the NZ curriculum for at least the following reasons-**

1) **Pacific reading materials are vital to the //New Zealand Curriculum// for the learning and teaching of Pacific languages for all NZ children in the new //Learning Languages Curriculum// introduced in 2007.** Without literacy materials it is very unlikely students can become successful fluent learners of these languages as they provide the major source of vocabulary and language knowledge input (Nation, 2000).. This is especially true for those threatened languages when use in the families and communities has dropped so low that vocabulary input is now very limited from community sources. The Cook Island language programme at Southern Cross Intermediate School Mangere is in this very position. 2) **Pacific reading materials and literacy and bilingualism in Pacific languages is identified in the Ministry of Education’s own website LEAP on ww.tki.org.nz and in a number of commissioned research reports as a major contributor to academic success of Pasifika students in NZ schools.** This is in addition to the huge research base on the benefits for literacy in English (Baker, 2006; Garcia, 2009; Thomas & Collier,1997, 2002) of being literate in your own language as well as in English. This research is presented in the National Standards briefings and ALL the current MoE documents including //Effective Literacy Practice// the Ministry’s English literacy handbooks, the English Language Learning assessment documents and National Standards presentations by Ministry Officials. The apparent unawareness of the Ministry of Education of its own research and policy astounds the Pacific community. The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs is currently investigating establishing its own Bilingual Education school/s (see 2010, MPIA Statement of Intent [|www.mpia.govt.nz].)

3) **The TUPU series is also essential to the 33 Pasifika Medium Bilingual Education primary schools and the 20 or more Pacific language teaching programmes that run in NZ schools.** Without a series of readers in Pacific languages students cannot become bilingual and bilterate and the many benefits for academic achievement acknowledged in the Ministry of Education’s Best Evidence, Best Practice report by May Hill & Tiakiwai (2004) cannot be achieved. In addition the materials are shared with other Pacific countries in our **//Sea of Islands//**( Hauofa) who use these materials for their literacy programmes in the Islands. There are also special publication series for particular countries as in the recent case of Samoan readers which are produced under contract for Samoa but able to be used also in NZ. For research on the academic success of students in these programmes see; May, Hill & Tiakiwai, 2004, May 2005, McCaffery, Tuafuti et all (2003); Aukuso, 2005, Esera, 2002; Toloa: McCaffery, Dale & Keegan, 2010; Tuafuti & McCaffery, 2005.

4) **The stopping of production will make it very difficult to maintain and develop the Ministry of Education’s //Home School Literacy Partnership Programme// which teaches schools how to work with families in literacy in Maori & Pasifika languages and English at home.** Research shows that literacy skills learned in a person’s own family heritage language can be transferred to English thus accelerating the acquisition of English language skills- we do not have to learn strategies for reading twice(see Lowman et al, Set 2, 2007). Literacy is a transferable skill like learning to drive a car- Once learned it transfers. This family literacy programme is based on research by Jannie Van Hees and Biddulph Biddulph & Biddulph (2003) for the MoE showing that partnership with parents is an essential to the academic success of language minority children. Over the last 10 years the Ministry of Education has funded such Home School Partnership programmes in many schools at substantial cost. Without a continuing supply of reading materials that can be sent home in the languages of the Pasifika community the programme will be at serious risk. 5) The TUPU series often publishes an English version of the material together with a teachers guide on how to use them. These English literacy texts support in the NZ Curriculum’s integrated inquiry approach and provide vital cultural, and identity support and information for Pasifika children who do not now speak a Pasifika language. They are also essential cultural literacy materials for all New Zealand children to learn about Pasifika families and cultures in NZ and in the islands developing tolerance and respect for cultural diversity in our //sea of islands//. Often schools follow the text for instructions on procedural text –how to make a Kupese, tapa, an Umu, weave, dance, create a Tivaevae, play Island cricket, learn abut White Sunday, celebrate special occasions / Fakamei, resolve conflicts and build healthy relationships with friends and family **These cuts which is what they actually are, yet again sends a message to Pacific communities that our aspirations for our children are of little interest or concern to the politicians or those Ministry educators charged with ensuring the future well being of the 20% of our 2030 NZ population that will be of Pacific ancestry.** Claims of consultation with the Pacific community (see MoE letter attached) look only like attempts to shift the blame for the cuts from the Minister of Education and the Ministry of Education to the Pacific community itself. Pacific groups say they will watch with interest what the Literacy community, the Pacific community, the Human Rights Commission and the Courts have to say about such disregard of Pacific peoples language rights and aspirations for their children.

John McCaffery Senior Lecturer Te Kura o nga Matatini o nga Reo me nga Toi School of Arts Languages and Literacies ( English/ Literacy /Languages/TESOL/ Biliteracy/ Bilingual/ Immersion Education ) Faculty of Education, Epsom Campus. Office N Block, N601 University of Auckland Private Bag 92601, Symonds Street, Auckland 1, Aotearoa/New Zealand email: j.mccaffery@auckland.ac.nz Ph: Mob: 027 20 83 766 Home 09 846 9715 Work: 64-9-6238899 ext 48709 Fax; 64-9-623 8811 Greetings from Aotearoa/New Zealand: Kia Ora ra: Talofa lava: Malo e lelei: Kiaorana: Fakaalofa lahi atu: Bula Vinaka: Namaste: Ni hao ma: Mauri... ** MoE letter attached ** – Wait for it to appear