It is almost certain residents of Kiribati will have to leave their country because of climate change. Sixteen Wollongong Catholic teachers are helping them prepare for a better future.
Neil McCann, Emily Patterson and Cath Hailstone had an inkling of what to expect in Kiribati.
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The Catholic teachers from the Diocese of Wollongong knew the small nation in the middle of the Pacific, straddling the equator and international date line, was one of the poorest nations in the world in regards to GDP.
They were also aware that Kiribati faces a raft of issues related to climate change, poverty, pollution and over-population.
The Kiribati islands are about two metres above sea level at their highest point and there are predictions they could be submerged by 2030.
During a recent visit to Australia, former Kiribati president Anote Tong told The Catholic Leader that “according to the experience we are facing today and reading the reports that are coming out on climate change, we are heading into a direction where all our islands will be submerged under water with time.”
Despite the fact its very survival is at stake over the next 50 years, the Wollongong teachers who visited Kiribati recently were greeted by “the most hospitable, joyous and wonderful people”.
The Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) has had an association with the Catholic Education Office in Kiribati since 1999, with a number of groups visiting the islands over the past 10 years.
Mr McCann went in 2013 and was also one of the seven teachers who in July 2017 worked in three of the Catholic high schools, supporting teachers in the classroom.
He came back determined to do more.
So Mr McCann worked with the Australian Catholic University and developed a course specifically aimed at helping those teachers in developing countries who have little or no teacher qualifications.
She said to me if we don't educate young people now, they are not just going to be climate change refugees, they are going to be uneducated climate change refugees.
- Emily Patterson
This year he led a group of 15 experienced teachers who spent two weeks delivering two of the four module Certificate of Teaching and Learning Course, in seven of the nine Catholic high schools in Kiribati.
“It was an amazing experience,” he said.
“They [teachers] have been highlighted because of global warming. Kiribati is going to be one of the first nations theoretically to disappear as a result of global warming.
“The problems are enormous. The pollution is insane, health, overcrowding and all the social problems you get with overcrowding such as drugs and alcohol.
“Then you have rising sea levels ...where do you start.”
Emily Patterson, who is a middle leader at Corpus Christi in Oak Flats, also took a lot away from the experience.
She said having a part in helping to develop the teachers was important because the future for Kiribati by all accounts was “fairly dire”.
“I think educating teachers is crucial for students to get a better education and break the fairly negative cycle that is going on at the moment,” Ms Patterson said.
“To have the experience personally to go over and to help develop those teachers, every single person on the project came back and felt more developed in return.
“For us here education today is so wrapped up in what technology we have and the access to countless resources and networking across schools and all that sort of thing.
“And, when you go over there and you are stripped down to nothing but a piece of chalk and a blackboard and it really forces you to tap into what actual skills you have as a teacher.
“But it’s great to have that sense of not just contributing to something in the short term but making a really long-term gain for Kiribati.
“You can see the impact of climate change. They are using rubbish to stop the rising sea level. They are making sea walls out of rubbish.”
Ms Patterson said the idea of teaching in English is to ensure the Kiribati people have some sort opportunity in the greater world.
She said it was fairly commonly accepted that most young people would have to move away from Kiribati, either as a result of climate change or because of a lack of job opportunities.
“Many end up working on fishing trawlers and things on the short term,” Ms Patterson said.
“There are many social problems and it can be overwhelming. But when you go there you just want to do everything you can to help.
“The culture is so alive and the spirit of the place is so alive that you want to help preserve it.
“One of the principals we worked with said to me if we don’t educate young people now they are not just going to be climate change refugees, they are going to be uneducated climate change refugees.
“So that sense of hope with just one small action makes it worthwhile.”
Four of the schools the teachers visited were on Tarawa, while three were on the outer islands of North Tarawa, Abalang and Butaritari.
They lived on site for these two weeks in what were fairly trying conditions.
CEDoW education officer Cath Hailstone said the conditions may have been tough but Kiribatis’ were the most joyous and hospitable people.
“They’ve got nothing but they will give you everything,” she said.
“It was a great experience to go over and work with the teachers to develop some critical thinking and some problem solving and some different pedagogies for them to engage their students.
“At the beginning often there would be classrooms empty. By the end of the program there would often be two teachers in each classroom.
“They were observing each other, they were providing feedback, they were sharing resources, they were sharing ideas and they would say can you come and watch this.
“The enthusiasm and the engagement of the students and the teachers by the end was by far the highlight for me.”
Ms Patterson added the Australian contingent appreciated the fact the teachers were going out on a limb by trying new things.
“It is such a big shift for them in what they know to be educators,” she said.
“Almost everyone was inspired by the intelligence of those teachers. They were smart teachers, they just didn’t have the training.
“It was great to see they were just absorbing everything. We saw some really clear changes in such a short time.
“We saw a huge boost in their confidence in delivering different lessons, not just writing notes on the board. Some keep in contact through social media and ask for resources and lesson ideas. It is great.”