Transforming Kanak Knowledge to teach students and train teachers in New Caledonia

Greater cultural awareness of youth in primary and second- ary education is a philosophical, social, and educational necessity. The socioeconomic balancing politics introduced by the Matignon-Oudinot Accords in 1988, described else- where in this book, also involved formal education. The teaching and scientific research on Kanak languages and cul- tures, which began in 1971 and was later broken off by polit- ical decisions, were re-launched by the Accords in 1988. The Nouméa Accord in 1998 accentuated and reinforced Kanak languages and cultures both at the University of New Caledonia (UNC) and the teacher training centers, and in other institutional structures such as the Academy of Kanak Languages, the Tjibaou Cultural Center, and the Kanak Customary Senate.