[ANU Pacific.Institute] CFP International Symposium In Vanuatu: Education, Cultures, Identity

[Mitiana Arbon]

Call for Papers
International Symposium in Vanuatu: Education, Cultures, Identity
(24-25th June 2020)

Deadline for sending contributions for overseas participants: 31st March 2020 Deadline for sending contributions for local participants: 30th April 2020


As part of the establishment of the National University of Vanuatu, the Ministry of Education and Training of Vanuatu (MoET) has begun to elaborate on the research component of the future university as a key part of it.


In that framework, the Directorate of Tertiary Education, in charge of this major project, strives to animate research through the organization of seminars and symposia involving researchers from universities in the region.


Thus, in 2017, a seminar was organized on the legal aspects related to the creation of the university; in 2018, the theme focused on emerging language issues and resulted in the publication of a book "From linguistic plurality to university bilingualism: realities and challenges".


In May 2019, a symposium on taxation attempted to examine the legal, economic and sociological implications of introducing an income tax, an issue of major importance for Vanuatu.


For 2020, the Ministry of Education and Training in partnership with the Vanuatu Cultural Centre (VKS) aim to organize a conference on education and culture challenges in a perspective of recognition of Vanuatu's identity at the dawn of the 40th anniversary of its independence.


These questions, which take into account the difficulty of not sacrificing sections of culture while trying to integrate them into the educational process, are regularly addressed by the Vanuatu Cultural Center which considers that it is urgent to document / preserve / enhance traditional knowledge and practices that are sometimes disappearing. As the nations of the Pacific continue to develop, it is imperative that TK and cultural heritage be taught in schools as a means of adapting to the challenges in the natural and social environment.


How do we link culture and education? How do we make the most of Vanuatu's cultural richness for success in school? These are the main themes used to grasp these notions that cover several disciplines: Anthropology, History, Archaeology, Educational Sciences, but also Language Sciences.


Working languages:

  *   French
  *   English
  *   Bislama


Themes (non-exhaustive list) discussed during this symposium:

  *   History - How do we write history, especially independence period history? How do we engage people to take ownership of history? Foreign and local perspectives are different.
  *   Languages safeguarding - The first question to ask: Why is it necessary to keep vernacular languages?The second question which follows is: how can we keep them alive and relevant for contemporary society? Discussion around the creation of a languages academy. This raises also the question of linguistic unity.
  *   Educational system - How does the education and training system integrate cultural knowledges?


Participants:

For the organization of this bilingual symposium, the university unit of the MoET and the VKS wish to bring together the institutional partners who have been working for a long time in Vanuatu, in particular the CREDO laboratory and the ANU, but also the country's researchers and doctoral students who are currently working on these issues. Researchers from universities in the region, UNC, USP, Victoria University of Wellington and other Pacific Universities through the PIURN network, will also be invited to contribute through a call for papers.


Local participants from the schools and others who are interested in this field of research will also be invited to participate.


Contact for sending your contributions:

- Anne-Rose Tjiobang, Director Tertiary atjiobang at vanuatu.gov.vu

- Anne-Sophie Vivier, Technical Advisor Higher Education, avivier at vanuatu.gov.vu


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