On behalf of the OCIES, the Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) and the Fiji National University (FNU) are delighted to co-convene the milestone 50 Annual OCIES Conference in November 2022. This year’s conference is organised in two parts, as follows:
Part 1: Virtual conference: 10-11 November 2022, free registration (hosted by VUW; NZ afternoons of the dates)
Part 2: Face-to-Face conference: 21-23 November 2022, registration fee required (hosted by Fiji National University, Natabua Campus, Lautoka, Fiji )
Additional opportunity: Field trip to Fijian village Climate Change project, 24 November, 2022.
The general goal of OCIES is to encourage comparative and international education research in global, regional, national, local, community and institutional settings. Because we seek to understand all aspects of the study and practice of education in these varied settings, we invite research which relates to vision, policy, structure, curriculum, process, relationships and performance in all contexts and settings of education.
OCIES grew out of the Australia and New Zealand Comparative and International Education Society which was established in 1983. ANZCIES in turn had grown out of the Australian Comparative Education Society (ACES) which was founded in 1973. Since its most recent renaming, OCIES has become a truly Oceanic community, with members from throughout the Oceania region and beyond.
Cognizant of its history, this year’s 50 Annual OCIES Conference is significant in numerous ways. On one hand, we acknowledge the gains and advances of our study and practice of education in Oceania and beyond. At the same time, we are sensitive to the challenges posed by technological, geo-political, environmental, economic and human development and their effects on peoples and education. Moreover, this year’s conference gathering in FNU Lautoka campus will be our first face-to-face event following the disruptions of the COVID 19 pandemic. As a community of scholars and educators, we remain clear about, and are committed to, our moral responsibility to explore, understand and act in ways which help us negotiate the injustices of our Oceania world and time in ethical ways.
Both online and in the face-to-face component of the 2022 conference, we are committed to offering conference participants a memorable experience as we renew friendships, create new ones and navigate the OCIES post-pandemic future and the future of education in our Oceania region and beyond.
At the Fiji face-to-face gathering, conference participants can expect to enjoy a full and rich relational and learning experience including: experiences of Fijian and Pacific cultural events, engaging with keynote speakers, celebrating the 50 anniversary with senior OCIES colleagues, attending numerous concurrent sessions featuring the latest research from throughout Oceania and beyond. In addition there is an opportunity to participate in a field trip to a Fijian village Climate Change project post-conference.
As educators and thought leaders of Oceania and the world, we are committed to education and its potential to transform, inspire and enliven people and their communities. At this 50 anniversary milestone, we have therefore chosen the theme, “Revisioning education in Oceania: Walking backward into the future, together”. This theme encourages OCIES members and conference participants to be wise in our reflections about the past while also being courageous in our aspirations for the future in ways which inform our connectedness in the present.
Abstracts were accepted which respond to theme and align to one of the following two thematic categories:
In this sub-theme, we can reflect on the past and explore the tensions between the past and the present. Whatever our school levels of interest, disciplinary foci, research subject matter or educational ideals, this sub-theme provides us opportunities to write proposals about past issues, experiences, performance and insights; together with new insights and experiences of today.
In this sub-theme, we can anticipate our Oceania educational future, based on our reflections of the past and our intense connections with the present. We can also explore the tensions between our present and the expectations we have about the not- yet-here. Whatever our school levels of interest, disciplinary foci, research subject matter or educational ideals, this sub-theme provides opportunities for us to write proposals about past-present issues, experiences, performance and insights, together with our anticipated and expected futures.