Oceania covers a wide area of the southwestern Pacific. Early immigrants in two countries (Australia and New Zealand) brought Eueopeans and English-styled schoolwear including uniforms with them, but in recent years have adopted styles more in keeping with the regional climate. Even so there is still a clear English influence. New Zealand in particular has many schools with traditional British-styled uniforms. In recent years, schools in both Australia and New Zealand have adopted styles more in keeping with their climate. The rest of Oceania is more varied. Indonesia and the Phillipines are large countries with substantial diverse populations. Schools in both countries have uniforms, but there is no national style. Oceania also includes many small new island states, each with their own individual approaches. We have little information on schools on many of those islands, but we are beginning to build some information.
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Australia is a huge country with a relatively small, mostly European population. Britain founded it as a penal colony. And a kind of mistrust of authority permeates Australian society even today. As a former English colony, set up an educational system based on the English system. Schoolwear was also basically English, although climate is another impoerant influence. Australian school uniforms through the 1970s were similar to English styles, except shorts were more common. Beginning in the 1980s more casual styles were introduced and are increasingly common at both elementary and secondary schools.
The Cook Island archepelago consists of fifteen small islands located in the South Pacific northeast of New Zealand. The different Cook Islands first was united as the Kingdom of Rarotonga (1858). Britain estanlished a protectorate and created a federal parliament (1888). A New Zealand began to become a more independent Dominion, Britain transfrred authority for the Cook Islands (1901). The Islands were beyond the area conquered by the Japanese in World War II and thus escaped the damage expeienced by other South Pacific islands. The Cook Islands today are a self-governing parliamentary democracy, freely associated with New Zealand. The school system is largely based on the New Zealand education system and the children wear New Zealand style school uniforms.
Fiji is a group of volcanic islands in the South Pacific lying between Vanuatu and Samoa. The principal island is Viti Levu. The first schools in Fiji were established by missionaries. Primary school for the first 8 years in Fiji during the the 1990s is free and compulsory. Amost all Fijian children attend primary school. This is possible because there are many small one room schools located in villages throughout the islands. There are both state public schools and privaste schools. Missions schools function under government supervision. Government spending for education is substantial, about 4.5 percent of GDP (1990). Less than half of the primary students continue on to secondary schools (mid-1990s). This relatively low rate is because children in rural areas have to travel outside their village to reach a secondary school. About 10 percent of the secondary students are in technical or vocational schools. The 2000 coup created security concerns, causing some parents to keep their children home. While there are free state schools, some low income families have difficuklty affording transportation and school supplies. Fiji has colleges/universities. The the University of the South Pacific opened in Suva (1968). Students not only come from Fiji, but other Pacific island states. There are some smaller colleges, including a teacher taining college. Most of the Fiji populsation is literate. Adult illiteracy is only about 7 percent.
We have only limited information on Indonesia at this time. Indonesia is one of the most populated countries on earth. Indonesia became independent after a brief war for independence following World War II. We are not sure when school uniforms were first introduced, but ghey are quite cimmon in Indonesia. Indonesian boys tend to wear short pants through junior highschool, often with colorful uniform shorts. Indonesia is one of the few Moslem countries where boys wear short pants as school uniform. The shorts were quite short in the 1960s and 70s. Much longer shorts became standard in the 1990s. We do not know if there are national rules or the uniform is determined by each school.
Kiribati was a British colony know as the Gilbert Islands. British Captain Thomas Gilbert sighted the islands (1788). The Japanese seized the Islands after Pearl Harbor and the Islands were the scene of a savage battle when the United States launched the Central Pacific campaign in the Gilberts. The caranage at Tarawa shocked Americans. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands gained self-rule (1971). They separated and were granted internal self-government (1975). Ellice Islands became the independent nation of Tuvalu (1978) The Gilbert Islands became independent as Kiribati (1979). The indigenous Gilbertese language name for the Gilbert Islands proper is "Tungaru". The new island state chose the name "Kiribati"--the Gilbertese pronunciation of "Gilberts" to acknowledge the inclusion of Banaba, the Line Islands, and the Phoenix Islands, which were never considered part of the Gilberts chain. British settlers began arriving (1830s). The first schools were mission schools. Primary education is free and compulsory for the first 6 years. The Government is extendng this to 9 years. The mission schools are being integrated into the government primary school system. Some students are seeking higher education, especially in technical, teacher or marine training. Many students have gone to Fiji for university-level training. As the small Pacific island states do not have the resources to support separate universities, a South Pacific university has been established in Fiji. Students interested in medical training have gone to Cuba which offers free medical schooling.
New Caledonia is a South Pacific island group northeast of Australia. We know nothing about traditional schools or education on the islands. Europeans began settling the island in the early 19th century. The first Europeans were whalers and traders. Sandelwood from the island was especially desirable. It is at this time that missionaries begin to arrive. We do not know when the first European school was founded. Almost ceetainly it was a missionary school. The French annexed the island (1853). We have some information on education during the French colonial era. We do not think that French colonial officials took much interest in the education of the indigenous people during the 19th century. We notice some missionry schools in the 20th century. After World war II, France made the island an overseas territory, eventually gtanting domestic self government.
Elementary children, except for the Catholic and private schools, do not wear uniforms. Secondary schools generally require uniforms. The uniforms were once traditional English styles. Uniforms since the 1960s have become more casual, but most schools continue to require them. Many schools have destinctive summer and winter uniforms. The uniforms vary, but many scools have light-weight shorts and sandals for summer and heavier shorts and kneesocks for winter. Many schools now allow the older secondary students to wear long pants.
We have very limited information on Philipino schools at this time. We have no information on the Spanish colonial era and very little about the American colonial period. School uniforms in the modern Philippines are common in both elementary and high schools. Many elementary and most secondary schools require uniforms. Uniforms are particularly prevalent at private schools. The kind of school uniforms that are worn in the Philippines has different variety of colors and it depends on the school what color combination they use, normally they only use two colors.
Vanuatu before independence was a French-British "Condiminium" known as the New Heberdies. We know nothing about the schools during the colonial period. There were both British and French settlers with teFrench predominating. An independence movement gained strength (1970s). The islands became indeopendent as the Republic of Vanuatu (1980). The population is lsargely rural, although Port Vila and Luganville have grown in population. The Vanuatu population (Ni-Vanuatu) are mostly Melanesian with a few Europeans, Asians and other Pacific islanders.
Schools in Vanuatu vary. Some require uniforms while others do not.
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