NOUMEA, New Caledonia, July 25 (IPS) – New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the southwestern Pacific Ocean with a population of around 290,000, is reeling from the destruction and political turmoil caused by weeks of civil war that erupted in mid-May.
Anger and clashes broke out across the island between police and independence supporters, most of whom are indigenous Kanak people, after the French parliament voted to change the region’s electoral roll in favour of pro-French forces.
But at the heart of political discontent among the Kanak, who make up about 40 percent of the population, is the deep-rooted inequality they have experienced for more than 150 years compared with the non-Kanak population, including disparities in educational attainment and high unemployment.
“Many people have not finished school and do not have qualifications or diplomas. Many families have no money and cannot afford to send their children to school,” Stelios, a young Kanak father living in the capital Noumea, told IPS. “Within the family, people help each other to support each other.”
New Caledonia, with its large nickel reserves, has a strong economy with a 2022 GDP of $9.62 billion, compared to $1.06 billion in neighboring Vanuatu and $4.9 billion in Fiji. However, there is a significant gap in income and living standards between the indigenous population and long-term non-Kanak settlers. Poverty and unemployment are major problems for the Kanak living in remote rural areas and informal urban settlements outside the capital, Noumea. While the overall poverty rate in New Caledonia is 19.1%, it is as high as 45.8% in the Loyalty Islands, where the majority of the population is Kanak.
Eddie Wayune Wadrawane, an associate lecturer and expert in educational sciences at the University of New Caledonia, reports a direct link between the Kanak education gap and their difficulty finding stable employment. The unemployment rate for those under 30 in the region is 28.3%, while for those without a qualification, it rises to 41.3%.
The indigenous Kanak people have lived under some form of French rule since the island was colonized in the mid-19th century. After World War II, New Caledonia was granted ‘overseas territory’ status, which gives greater recognition to citizenship and indigenous rights.
However, a long history of poverty, loss of land to colonial authorities, forced relocation to reserves, and exclusion from political participation sparked numerous Kanak uprisings over the decades, culminating in a major conflict with French authorities in the 1980s. Negotiations following the hostilities resulted in two agreements between the French government and local leaders. The Matignon Accord in 1988 and the Nouméa Accord in 1998 promised to address socioeconomic inequalities among the Kanak population, such as lack of access to education and lack of consultation in governance and political processes, among other provisions.
Public services and economic opportunities are concentrated in the southern region, including the capital, Noumea. However, over the past two decades, government efforts to improve access to services such as infrastructure and education in the less developed northern region and Loyalty Islands, where most Kanak live, have made progress. The number of Kanak graduates from university and similar tertiary institutions has increased from 99 in 1989 to 3,200 in 2014. However, there are still significant gaps, with only 8% of Kanak reported having obtained a university degree in 2019.
“A key part of the philosophy of the Matignon Accord and the Nouméa Accord was the notion that New Caledonia was not ready for independence because there were no Kanak people in mid- or senior management or professional positions,” Dr David Small, a senior lecturer at the Above the Bar School of Educational Research and Leadership at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, told IPS.
But the French education system, he continued, “is very selective and there are many ways for the Kanak to get out. The Kanak are also sensitive and very critical of the colonial nature of education in New Caledonia.”
When pro-independence demonstrations took place across New Caledonia in May against the French government’s electoral reforms, many of those taking to the streets were young people, aged between 15 and 25. They were angry not only about the electoral changes, but also about the hardships and inequalities that had affected their lives. The young generation’s patience is running thin, and they are no longer willing to wait indefinitely for the promises of a better life and opportunity to become reality.
‘Schools can play a vital role in providing young people with new perspectives and generally bringing about social reform,’ argues Wadrawane. But Dr Small says many Kanak young people are losing faith in the idea that New Caledonian society is a meritocracy, and therefore the ability of education to enable them to succeed and achieve in their careers and in life.
However, Stelios is one of those who went to school consistently, completed secondary education, and earned a bachelor’s degree.
“And I have a job. I work at a school and help out the staff,” he said. He is also a father of three children under the age of seven, and he is determined to make sure they get an education, too.
Education experts like Wadrawane argue that Kanak culture and language must be integrated into the curriculum to keep indigenous students in the education system.
“The current curriculum appeals more to students from mainland France and less to students from French overseas territories,” Wadrawane wrote. He believes that “raising young people’s cultural awareness in primary and secondary education is a philosophical, social and educational imperative to reduce inequality and strengthen citizenship.”
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