John Dickie

Fewer than 4% of primary and intermediate schools have half the 7.8% Pacific nations children. Only 2% of primary teachers are of similar background. A study of Pacific students at Wellington College of Education highlights some of the difficulties they face, and what colleges of education and tutors can do to help.

Pasifika students do not generally achieve as well as other students in school assessments of literacy and there are concerns about their comprehension of text. This article examines the out-of-school literacy experiences of 14 Pasifika students, with a view to enabling teachers to link to and build on them. Church and Sunday school are important sites for literacy in Samoan and English outside school.