It is now 25 years since the Akoteu Katokakala preschool opened in South Auckland with the goal of teaching the Tongan language and culture.
Teacher Dr Jeanne Pau’uvale Teisina says their school based in Ōtara is just like another home for students and their families.
“The preschool is a safe place for parents – who are busy with work and other duties to bring their children to,” she says.
The Tongan population in Aotearoa has increased to the point that more 82,000 people now call it home. Forty percent speak Tongan and only 12% of under 15 year-olds use the language.
It’s an opportunity for teachers to be innovative in terms of how they teach the language and cultural values and they’ve chosen to do this using traditional Tongan games like ‘pele, hiko and moa’.
Teacher Heilala Pole Maka says to the students, the games are not only fun but also educational.
“Each game has a purpose and there is something to be learned from it. Like the game moa, you can see how many stones we count, mainly for maths, playfulness, and caring. these are just things we learn from the game,” Maka says.
Teacher Fakaola Tauelangi says the pre-school is the perfect place to instil Tongan values and culture.
“We try to convey through the games, songs and how we speak, the importance of the Tongan language to our students and at the same time we add in our Tongan values”.
The founder of the preschool Meleane Lolohea Pau‘uvale is still working as a teacher and is proud the games can be played even by the digital generation.
“Technology has tried to change and made things easier but I believe we should keep these games around because it also brings us wisdom; that is in the game but it will disappear if the schools do not bring it back; we will lose it,” Pau’uvale says.
