Colonial education systems in the Pacific were designed to reshape Indigenous identities, restructure social systems, and replace local epistemologies with Western worldviews. These legacies continue to influence contemporary schooling, where Eurocentric curricula, English-dominant language policies, and non-relational pedagogies often marginalise Indigenous knowledge, culture, and authority. This paper examines the shift from colonial schooling to decolonial futures in Pacific Island nations, arguing that meaningful transformation requires dismantling entrenched colonial logics embedded in curriculum, governance, assessment, and teacher preparation. Drawing on decolonial theory, Indigenous Pacific epistemologies, and contemporary regional research, the paper explores how movements for language revitalisation, cultural resurgence, and Indigenous-led education governance are reshaping possibilities for future generations. It highlights emerging practices, including vanua- and vā-centred pedagogies, immersion language programs, land-based learning, and Indigenous community co-governance, that offer pathways toward epistemic justice and culturally grounded education systems. By tracing both historical impacts and contemporary innovations, this study proposes a decolonial education framework that positions Pacific knowledge systems, linguistic diversity, and relational ontologies at the centre of educational transformation. The findings argue that decolonial education is essential not only for restoring cultural continuity and Indigenous sovereignty but also for building resilient, future-ready education systems capable of supporting Pacific nations in the 21st century and beyond.

Decolonial education, colonial schooling, Pacific Islands, Indigenous knowledge systems, cultural resurgence, language revitalisation, epistemic justice, Pacific epistemologies, decolonisation, Indigenous sovereignty

1. Wilson, S. (2008). Research is ceremony: Indigenous research methods. Fernwood Publishing.

2. United Nations. (2007). United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples.html

3. Battiste, M. (2013). Decolonizing education: Nourishing the learning spirit. Purich Publishing.

4. Chilisa, B. (2012). Indigenous research methodologies. SAGE Publications.

5. Fricker, M. (2007). Epistemic injustice: Power and the ethics of knowing. Oxford University Press.

6. Galla, C. K. (2016). Language revitalization and education in Indigenous communities. Language Documentation & Conservation, 10, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1353/ldc.2016.0001

7. Gegeo, D. W., & Watson-Gegeo, K. A. (2001). Connectedness and empowerment in Pacific education. Comparative Education Review, 45(2), 165–183. https://doi.org/10.1086/447589

8. Helu-Thaman, K. (2010). Decolonising Pacific education: Challenges and prospects. In J. Tanaka & A. Smith (Eds.), Pacific education in the 21st century (pp. 45–62). University of the South Pacific Press.

9. Hau‘ofa, E. (1994). Our sea of islands. The Contemporary Pacific, 6(1), 148–161. https://doi.org/10.1353/cp.1994.0011

10. Huffer, E., & Qalo, R. (2004). Custom, governance and colonial legacy in Pacific education. USP Press.

11. Johansson-Fua, S. (2016). Vā and relational learning in Pacific education. Journal of Pacific Studies, 36(2), 45–63.

12. Ka‘ili, T. O. (2005). Tauhi vā: Nurturing relationality in fa‘a Samoa. The Contemporary Pacific, 17(1), 83–114. https://doi.org/10.1353/cp.2005.0023

13. Lingam, G. I., & Lingam, R. (2013). Education reform in the Pacific: Balancing culture and modernity. International Journal of Educational Development, 33(5), 478–485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2013.01.001

14. Lingam, G. I., & Lingam, R. (2019). Indigenous knowledge integration in Pacific schooling. Asia-Pacific Journal of Education, 39(3), 243–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2019.1602110

15. McCarty, T. L., & Brayboy, B. M. J. (2023). Indigenous resurgence in education: From inclusion to sovereignty. Harvard Educational Review, 93(1), 45–70. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-93.1.45

16. McCarty, T. L., & Lee, T. S. (2014). Critical culturally sustaining/revitalizing pedagogy and Indigenous education sovereignty. Harvard Educational Review, 84(1), 101–124. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.84.1.q837h52v398p3823

17. Mignolo, W. D., & Walsh, C. E. (2018). On decoloniality: Concepts, analytics, praxis. Duke University Press.

18. Mühlhäusler, P. (1996). Linguistic ecology of the Pacific. De Gruyter Mouton.

19. Nabobo-Baba, U. (2006). Knowing and learning: An indigenous Fijian approach. Institute of Education, University of the South Pacific.

20. Nakata, M. (2007). The cultural interface. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 36(S1), 7–14. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1326011100004646

21. Otunuku, K. (2011). Tok stori as a pedagogical tool in Pacific education. Pacific Studies Journal, 34(1), 77–98.

22. Quijano, A. (2000). Coloniality of power, Eurocentrism, and Latin America. Nepantla: Views from South, 1(3), 533–580. https://doi.org/10.1215/10679847-1-3-533

23. Schwartz, R., Leach, M., & Iriarte, E. (2021). Indigenous digital sovereignty: Ethical considerations and community control. Information, Communication & Society, 24(14), 2075–2092. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1938862

24. Sanga, K. (2000). Pacific education: Colonial legacies and local responses. International Journal of Educational Development, 20(3), 187–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0738-0593(99)00049-6

25. Sanga, K. (2004). Curriculum reform and cultural relevance in Pacific education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Education, 24(2), 123–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188790408572078

26. Sanga, K., & Chu, C. (2009). Community-led governance and educational outcomes in Pacific schools. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 12(4), 389–404. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603120802584923

27. Smith, L. T. (1999). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples. Zed Books.

28. Smith, L. T. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples (2nd ed.). Zed Books.

29. Thaman, K. H. (2003). Decolonizing Pacific education: Indigenous perspectives. Comparative Education, 39(2), 195–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050060302560

30. Vaioleti, T. M. (2006). Talanoa research methodology: A Pacific approach to qualitative inquiry. Pacific Health Dialog, 13(2), 137–144.

31. Walker, R. (2020). Colonial legacies and Indigenous education in Oceania. Journal of Pacific History, 55(1), 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223344.2020.1722151