A Journey of Resilience: Ketia's Story

This story was originally posted by UNICEF Pacific on their website.

She often paused during her speech, filled with emotions and fighting back tears but looking straight at the audience to deliver her own story.

Ketia lost her hearing when she was just 9-years-old. Born in a small village in the outer islands of Kiribati, she had a happy childhood. One day, she noticed that she suddenly could not hear anything. She tried to explain this to her parents and they panicked.

"They took me around to any doctor they could find in Kiribati," recollects Ketia. They eventually realised that there was nothing that could be done.

Ketia was one of the guest speakers at the first ever three-day Inclusive Education Forum held in Kiribati to reflect on past practices and develop actions to strengthen the delivery of quality inclusive learning in the country.

More than 80 participants, including school leaders, partners and ministry officials, gathered in the traditional Maneaba, an open meeting house made from coconut and local trees and leaves where community members gather for key events, discussions and ceremonies. The Maneaba symbolizes unity and inclusiveness, a core value and culture of Kiribati. A cool breeze would eventually flow into the venue from the beautiful turquoise sea surrounding it.

“The teacher did not believe that I could not hear. She thought I was joking,” shares Ketia. She wanted to tell the teacher that she was not joking but found it difficult to express herself. Her parents visited the school to explain that she had suddenly lost her hearing and finally, the teacher understood. 

School life was tough for her. Her classmates often teased her because she could not hear nor speak like them. The teacher also did not know what to do. She had to follow what was written on the blackboard to catch up with the lessons. Yet, Ketia’s determination never wavered, and she continued her education. Eventually, she moved to a special school in the capital. There, she was supported by teachers who made sure she had the right support to continue learning.

Despite her situation, Ketia had been fortunate to continue her education with support from her parents, her own strong passion for education and competent teachers who built their capacity through various training sessions organized by the Ministry of Education and partners.

One in five children in Kiribati has a disability and without adequate support, they often drop out of school and even if they stay in school, they may not learn the foundational literacy and numeracy skills that are needed in life. Data shows that also other factors, such as the gender of the child, the location of their school and the child’s family’s social economic background affects their education (MICS 2018-2021, PILNA 2021).

Recently, there has also been increased awareness in the Pacific on how neurodivergent learners which includes children with conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia and others struggle with their education without adequate support.

After graduating high school, Ketia went to Fiji to continue her education and eventually became a Teacher Assistant at St. Louis High School to support deaf students with their education. Now, she can help other students continue their education, equipped with her personal experience and knowledge. But teaching students who have difficulty in hearing is not an easy task and she often struggled to teach them.

“I see the same struggles that I went through,” she said, often pausing to fight back tears. “I become very emotional because I can really feel their pain.”

A complete silence swept across the participants as they wiped their tears repeatedly while listening to Ketia’s story. Only the sound of the wind and the gentle waves from the lagoon could be heard.

Ketia was amongst the many speakers at the Forum, where they shared real-life testimonies of how inclusive education can support all children and what the Ministry of Education is initiating to address these issues. Speakers covered diverse topics related to inclusion, including children in remote islands, neurodiverse learners and those facing gender-based violence in schools. The Forum ended with key priority actions on inclusive education co-developed by the participants to take forward in the upcoming years.

"Every child has a dream," Ketia emphasized. "Bring your child to school. I am equal. I am the same as you." Her personal story was a story of resilience. And her message was a strong call to action for the participants to provide the right support to children so they can continue their education and have the opportunity to shine and realize their dreams.

Inclusive Education

The overall disability prevalence in Kiribati is 20.8 per cent for difficulties in communication, vision, self-care, mobility, hearing and cognition (National Census 2015). Data shows that 64 percent of children do not have the expected foundational learning skills that are needed in life, with 51 per cent lacking numeracy skills and 49 per cent lacking reading skills. Factors such as gender, social economic background, location and disability are associated with attaining these foundational skills (Kiribati MICS-EAGLE 2018-2021, PILNA 2021). Ongoing support for these vulnerable groups will enhance their access to quality education and support them to gain the necessary foundational skills for life.

UNICEF provided technical and financial support for the organization of this Forum through the strong foundations established by the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF).