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Source: ONE News -
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A group of Pacific Islands parents are taking the Ministry of Education to court over its decision to indefinitely suspend producing Pacific language books.
A coalition including schools, churches and community groups is behind court action that the coalition says is a breach of their children's human rights.
Parent, Joanne Okesene, said suspending production of the Tupu and Folaunga series is race based discrimination.
"Discontinuing the books basically affects my children's rights to their cultural identity and their access to education," she said.
The Ministry of Education said it has paused production while it researches the best way to meet Pacific students' needs.
But documents obtained under the Official Information Act shows key personnel within the Education Ministry arguing that the books and even learning a Pacific language as a first language is now unnecessary.
Judy Taligalu McFall-McCaffery said the move proves the Ministry of Education is not in tune with what Pacific people want and need.
"It's not a priority, it's not an interest at all for the ministry. To me it just signals we are going to make you English speaking," she said.
Finlayson Park Primary principal Shirley Maihi said there is no reasoning behind the ministry's decision.
"My whole community, my board members, we are incensed...for a government to say 'that's it', just doesnt bear any sense of reasoning really," she said.
