The Ministry of iTaukeu Affairs has ongoing projects to incorporate traditional knowledge into the school curriculum, says acting deputy secretary-policy Joeli Ditoka.
He told the Pacific Regional Tripartite Employment Conference in Nadi that this would foster cohesion through bottom-up collaboration between the Ministry of Education and traditional authorities.
“Because one side effect of colonisation has been that we’ve forgotten these values that actually are very valuable,” he said.
“And which encourages resilience. We’ve sort of tried to bring that back in, to bring indigenous knowledge back to the fore in many contexts, including climate resilience.
“So, we are trying to revitalise it in the actual teaching methods in the curriculum and in programs such as iTaukei Affairs deputy CEO Josua Toganivalu addressing schools.”
Mr Ditoka said the climate crisis and job security were also a threat to cultural and social cohesion.
“It triggers eco-grief, mentally and culturally informed adaptation strategies strengthen community resilience.”
