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| Tongatapu, main island of Tonga |
Many Americans are
dissatisfied with the public school system, and scapegoats vary from federal
mandates, standardized testing, local districts having inept
superintendents poor teacher training, poor incentives, student
apathy… the list continues on and on. One thing has become very clear: what we
need isn’t a scapegoat, what we need is a new way of looking at education.
The Kingdom of Tonga is, economically speaking, the poorest nation in the South Pacific. It would be the last place most people would look for a role model, but its educational system--particularly on the main island--bears a little scrutiny. Tongans have historically viewed fair-skinned people as being of noble rank or birth, and have accorded them respect. Smart enough to recognize the knowledge that Europeans possessed as they came among the native people, King Tupou I was eager to educate his people in knowledge beyond what Tonga then possessed. At first, wearing European-style uniforms, and modeling after the British system, Tonga began a more formal kind of education, but it didn’t take long for them to realize that they could keep what was innately Tongan, like dress and language, while embracing math, science, world history and the English written language—all in a way that made sense for Tongans. The current national literacy rate is 99%. While there is not variety or “fluff” courses offered in the Tongan system, what is taught is learned well. Students entering BYU-Hawaii, for example, found that some core GE courses consisted of material comprehensively covered in Tonga.
The Kingdom of Tonga is, economically speaking, the poorest nation in the South Pacific. It would be the last place most people would look for a role model, but its educational system--particularly on the main island--bears a little scrutiny. Tongans have historically viewed fair-skinned people as being of noble rank or birth, and have accorded them respect. Smart enough to recognize the knowledge that Europeans possessed as they came among the native people, King Tupou I was eager to educate his people in knowledge beyond what Tonga then possessed. At first, wearing European-style uniforms, and modeling after the British system, Tonga began a more formal kind of education, but it didn’t take long for them to realize that they could keep what was innately Tongan, like dress and language, while embracing math, science, world history and the English written language—all in a way that made sense for Tongans. The current national literacy rate is 99%. While there is not variety or “fluff” courses offered in the Tongan system, what is taught is learned well. Students entering BYU-Hawaii, for example, found that some core GE courses consisted of material comprehensively covered in Tonga.
We must find alternatives to the current prevailing philosophy of standardized
testing and “one size fits all” attitudes prevalent in the American school
system. What we teach must be taught well. If it is possible for Tonga to adjust curriculum, expectations, and
outcomes, surely one of the greatest nations on earth can find their way out of
the dark. And a little island (nation) shall lead them…
