Cultural values and education in Western Samoa

Abstract

Contemporary Samoa is at a cultural, philosophical, and educational crossroad. The Samoan people desire to preserve their indigenous culture, with its traditions, mores, and protocols. Many aspects of this culture, however, have been significantly influenced historically by European colonialism and recently by technological proliferation; both influences have served to hybridize its religious, economic, social, and political character. Such changes have generated a conflict in the attitude and perspective of the Samoan people: How much of the old should be extolled and maintained, and how much of the new must be assimilated? Education in Western Samoa does not have an existence separate from and independent of the society it serves. It is not a self-sufficient entity; its operation is inextricably tied to the functioning of other established institutions such as the family, the church, the village, and the matai, and, in significant part, it draws inspiration for the formulation of its philosophy and praxis from these political, religious, and social entities. The operation of all these institutions, of course,is guided by the values inherent in the culture and transmitted by it. This resolved, the education system is obligated to effectively integrate these values that are a fundamental part of the Samoan community, the nu'u, and the aiga into the curricula and pedagogy of the schools. Notions of respect for the elders, communal collaboration and unity in the face of challenge and adversity, interdependence of family members and community subgroups, and active mentoring, among other traditional behaviors, must be conveyed and modeled in classrooms by teachers and school administrators. These social behaviors must also be modeled in the homes by parents, in the nu'u by the matai, in the churches by religious leaders, in the business community by its leaders, and in the government by politicians who understand the traditions of Samoa's past and are responsible for shaping its future.