Potential of Asian kids overlooked
Like many Kiwis of my era, I did part of my OE in London. Worried I was frittering my life away, my parents insisted I do some useful study – summer school at least.
In the class were students from all over Europe and so a variety of languages could always be heard.
One time, as I walked into a room where my mates were having a chat, one of them said, ‘‘Uh oh, we need to speak in English now Simon is here.’’
It was a comment that really stuck with me, so I resolved to learn another language – first French, followed by Italian and Korean.
For many generations it has been the norm for New Zealanders to be monolingual, but things are changing.
Frankly, New Zealand has to change if we are to thrive in a world that is increasingly interconnected, a world that is increasingly becoming Asiacentric.
I was reminded of my London experience when the Asia New Zealand Foundation published its latest research – Starting Strong: Nurturing the potential of our Asian under-fives – which examines how under-fives of Asian ethnicity maintain their heritage culture and language skills.
We invested in this research because we wanted to get a clearer picture of what was happening at the beginning of the education pipeline, stimulate discussion, and inform policy-makers.
This report bookends an earlier piece of research, Losing Momentum, about the Asia engagement of school leavers – the other end of the school system.
That report found only 8 per cent of senior secondary students are Asia-ready and six out of 10 did not consider Asia-related skills and knowledge important for their working life.
This is a sobering reminder that we need to up our game if we don’t want New Zealanders to miss out on the opportunities the rise of Asia brings.
Starting Strong tells us 20 per cent of children under five in New Zealand are now of Asian ethnicity. Between 2001 and 2013, this demographic doubled.
It was interesting, too, to learn that 90 per cent of these kids were born in New Zealand.
These children are entering our school system with a head start – with understanding of their heritage culture and language skills.
What worries me is that the report finds it is a challenge for these Asian under-fives to maintain these cultural knowledge and language skills.
Why is this a concern? Well, all the data we have shows New Zealand’s present and future will continue to increasingly intertwine with Asia. This means we need Asia-competent people to be able to engage effectively with the region.
And here we have, growing up in our country and entering our school system, children with a grounding in cultures and languages of Asian countries.
These skills will give them a real advantage when they enter the workforce some 15 years from now, and this can be a huge benefit to New Zealand’s engagement with Asia.
I believe it is important for us collectively (businesses, schools, officials, early learning providers, and the wider community) to signal clearly the value of these Asia-related skills.
We should make it very clear we value these skills as a society. We need a coordinated and deliberate approach to ensure these children nurture and grow their cultural competence, otherwise we all lose out.
The report says parents tend to believe it is their job to keep their heritage cultures alive, but at home and in private. We should encourage them to share their children’s cultures with their
I didn't start learning another language until my twenties, and frankly if I can do it, anyone can.
classmates and friends.
And to be clear, this is not about choosing one culture or language over another but about really valuing our increasing diversity.
It was a throwaway comment that prompted me to learn other languages. I didn’t start until my twenties, and frankly if I can do it, anyone can.
That decision led to fantastic opportunities for me, including diplomatic postings when I was working at the foreign ministry and my current role at the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
Many Kiwi Asian under-fives already have a strong understanding of their heritage culture and some language abilities. It will be a shame, for all of us, if through inattention or lack of a plan we allowed them to lose these skills.
The potential of these Asian under-fives represents an incredible opportunity for all New Zealand – and it’s currently going begging. ❚ Simon Draper is the executive director of the Asia New Zealand Foundation