Educational Dichotomy

03/19/09

English is the big educational divider in Samoa; those who master it, move on, those who don’t’ remain behind. Rural educators on Savaii wrestle against standardized national testing, pitting their students who hear English spoken only in the schools (poorly at that) against students living in Apia where English is the spoken language on the streets and often in the home. Those bright, highly motivated rural students find themselves omitted from the opportunities presented to their more fortunate brethren, but then again what’s new?