HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) announced today that it will be making available to all employees free introductory Hawaiian language courses through a partnership between its Office of Hawaiian Education (OHE) and the University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges (UHCC).
“We are excited to announce this new learning opportunity aimed at honoring the essential role that ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language) plays in our educational system,” Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto said. “Mahalo to the University of Hawai‘i for partnering with us as we work to increase the relevance and awareness of Hawai‘i’s unique educational context.”
Beginning with the university’s Spring 2020 semester all HIDOE employees will have two options to take Hawaiian language courses: enrollment in scheduled courses at UHCC campuses statewide or creation of custom courses for a group of HIDOE employees. Introductory courses are offered at all seven UHCC campuses and in a variety of formats.
“This collaboration will support the advancement of Hawaiian language across public education," UH President David Lassner said. “UH faculty have been at the core of the revitalization of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi through decades of amazing work. This project is an important extension of the foundation across the Department of Education and our public schools statewide."
Upon successful completion, teachers who are part of Bargaining Unit 05 will be able to receive professional development credits and all other HIDOE employees will be able to earn college credit. The Department has over 22,000 salaried employees, including nearly 13,000 teachers.
For more information about enrolling, see here.
Comments