16 How Does Faith Influence Pro-Environmental Practice in Schools? …
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Fiji
The Fiji group consists of some 330 islands of which about 100 are inhabited. The
islands are situated in the South Pacific Ocean, north of New Zealand and East of
Queensland in Australia. The two main islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. About
75% of the population lives on Viti Levu and about 18% live on Vanua Levu (Fiji
Bureau of Statistics 2008).
Fiji is a multicultural society with different ethnic and religious groups. According
to the 2017 Census of Population, Fiji has a population of 884,887 (Fiji Bureau of
Statistics 2018). The most recent ethnicity data was collected in the 2007 census
and includes 475,739 Indigenous Fijians, 313,798 Indians and 47,734 Others. The
‘Others’ include European, Part European, Chinese and Rotuman and Other Pacific
Islanders (Fiji Bureau of Statistics 2008).
Indigenous Fijians preserve and practice their culture through various traditions
and rituals. The indigenous Fijians are predominantly of Melanesian and Polynesian
descent and can trace their links to other nations in the Pacific including Solomon
Islands, Tonga and Samoa (Tuimaleali’ifano 2011). The majority of Indians in Fiji are
descendants of indentured labourers, originating mostly from Calcutta and Madras,
who were brought to Fiji between 1879 and 1916 to work on sugar plantations. Free
immigrants from Gujarat are also part of Fiji’s Indian community (Ali 1997; Kelly
1992). Members of the Fiji Indian community continue to observe their heritage and
culture through language, dress and various rituals.
A number of religions are practiced in Fiji. The breakdown of the population according to religion
1 includes Christians (64.4%), Hindus (27.9%), Islam
(Muslims) (6.3%), Sikhs (0.3%) and Others (0.3%), with 0.8% people not identifying with a particular religion (Fiji Bureau of Statistics 2008). Key religious events
are observed by public holidays: Christmas for Christians, Diwali for Hindus and
Prophet Mohammed’s Birthday for followers of Islam.
This research focused on secondary (high) schools and according to the Fiji Bureau
of Statistics, in 2009 there were 172 secondary schools in Fiji with 67,072 students
enrolled. Just 12 of these are government (secular) schools. The majority of schools
in Fiji are managed by faith-based organisations (including Catholic, Anglican,
Methodist, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventist, Assemblies of God, Sangam and
Sabha (Hindu), and Muslim) and by local communities. These schools also receive
financial assistance from the government. There is only a handful of private schools
in Fiji.
Western education was brought to Fiji in the 1850s by missionaries who set up
informal education systems focussing on reading and arithmetic. Senibulu (2000)
states, “The goal of such an education system was basically to have a core group of
students who could read and interpret the bible and to act as evangelists, spreading
God’s message to the locals” (p. 3). Formal education based on a European model was
established in 1916 with the creation of the first Education Department to undertake
the provision of all educational services in the country. Anglicans and Indian religious
1 Based on 2007 census data with a total population of 837,271.
317
Fiji
The Fiji group consists of some 330 islands of which about 100 are inhabited. The
islands are situated in the South Pacific Ocean, north of New Zealand and East of
Queensland in Australia. The two main islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. About
75% of the population lives on Viti Levu and about 18% live on Vanua Levu (Fiji
Bureau of Statistics 2008).
Fiji is a multicultural society with different ethnic and religious groups. According
to the 2017 Census of Population, Fiji has a population of 884,887 (Fiji Bureau of
Statistics 2018). The most recent ethnicity data was collected in the 2007 census
and includes 475,739 Indigenous Fijians, 313,798 Indians and 47,734 Others. The
‘Others’ include European, Part European, Chinese and Rotuman and Other Pacific
Islanders (Fiji Bureau of Statistics 2008).
Indigenous Fijians preserve and practice their culture through various traditions
and rituals. The indigenous Fijians are predominantly of Melanesian and Polynesian
descent and can trace their links to other nations in the Pacific including Solomon
Islands, Tonga and Samoa (Tuimaleali’ifano 2011). The majority of Indians in Fiji are
descendants of indentured labourers, originating mostly from Calcutta and Madras,
who were brought to Fiji between 1879 and 1916 to work on sugar plantations. Free
immigrants from Gujarat are also part of Fiji’s Indian community (Ali 1997; Kelly
1992). Members of the Fiji Indian community continue to observe their heritage and
culture through language, dress and various rituals.
A number of religions are practiced in Fiji. The breakdown of the population according to religion
1 includes Christians (64.4%), Hindus (27.9%), Islam
(Muslims) (6.3%), Sikhs (0.3%) and Others (0.3%), with 0.8% people not identifying with a particular religion (Fiji Bureau of Statistics 2008). Key religious events
are observed by public holidays: Christmas for Christians, Diwali for Hindus and
Prophet Mohammed’s Birthday for followers of Islam.
This research focused on secondary (high) schools and according to the Fiji Bureau
of Statistics, in 2009 there were 172 secondary schools in Fiji with 67,072 students
enrolled. Just 12 of these are government (secular) schools. The majority of schools
in Fiji are managed by faith-based organisations (including Catholic, Anglican,
Methodist, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventist, Assemblies of God, Sangam and
Sabha (Hindu), and Muslim) and by local communities. These schools also receive
financial assistance from the government. There is only a handful of private schools
in Fiji.
Western education was brought to Fiji in the 1850s by missionaries who set up
informal education systems focussing on reading and arithmetic. Senibulu (2000)
states, “The goal of such an education system was basically to have a core group of
students who could read and interpret the bible and to act as evangelists, spreading
God’s message to the locals” (p. 3). Formal education based on a European model was
established in 1916 with the creation of the first Education Department to undertake
the provision of all educational services in the country. Anglicans and Indian religious
1 Based on 2007 census data with a total population of 837,271.