Education In Pacific Countries

Summary of Proceedings at Honolulu Conference

From a Special Correspondent.

Honolulu, Sept. 2.

THE Carneeie-snonsored Conference on HE Carnegie sponsored Conterence on Educatmn in Pacific Countries with over 50 delegates varioa ® Pac * flc Terntones, U S.A., and the East, has coneluded after five weeks of session. The members have all departed for their respective spheres of work. . , , .

The sessions were conducted under the joint auspices of the Universities of Hawaii and Yale (L.S.A.); Dr. Felix Keesmg a New Zealander), Professor of Anthropology at Irawaii, and Dr. C. T.

Loram (formerly of South Africa), Sterhng Professor of Education and Race Relations at Yale, being co-directors.

Sessions were held in camera, so that little publicity was given to the proceedings. In consequence, the importance of the meetings was overshadowed by the Pan-Pacific Medical Congress, which sat for two weeks at Honolulu simultaneously with the Education Conference; and by the Institute 'of Pacific Relations sessions being held at Yosemite (U.S.A.). In order to appreciate what the Education Conferenoe accomplished, It is necessary to know what its purpose was.

The delegates were not merely teachers and professional educational theorists, but “people more interested in the results of education than in its processes, techniques or administration: anthropologists sociologists, colonial administrators and the like, rather than school chiefs or teachers.

The objective of the conference was not so much the solution of problems as the evaluation of results that have accrued from the application of different national educational policies in colonial and dependent areas. The proceedings dealt with all aspects of European contact with non-European peoples, and the broadly educational implications of such contact.

Perhaps the chief accomplishment of the Conference lay in the comparison of situations in different regions, of methods adopted in those regions, and the pooling

of ideas generally. Every delegate left with a feeling unity of purpose with all other delegates; with a clear conception of princi p les; and a wider understanding of the nature of the problems of race relations in the Pacific, ~, . , Throughout the sessions, which covered a wlde diversity of controversial subjects, there was a complete absence of national istic bias or rancour, each group, Japan esGj British> u.s.A., French, and Chinese. working in absolute harmony with the others . T he method of proceedings was f or selected members to present formal pa p ers on particular aspects of the gen eral subject (as, for example, McCor mick, of the Philippines, and Williams, of Papua, on "The Language Problem”), and these papers were followed by shorter statements from representatives of other Territories, with freedom of comment, question and discussion after the formal presentations. The system worked ad mirably and resulted in a vast amount of comparative material and numerous points of view being reviewed in each topic-session.

The proce edings will be published, in summarised form, within the next few months; and they should provide a handy reference for all those interested in native development and race relations in the Pacific.

The hope was unanimously expressed by tlie delegates that means might be found t 0 set up a cen tral clearing-house, with a skeleton secretariat, for the col lation of materials and the study of pro jects relating to native education, the University of Hawaii being suggested as a suitable location for such a bureau, Reference should be made to the tre mendous amount of organization work done by Dr. Keesing before and during the conference. He and his brilliant wife (also a New Zealander) were untiring in their day-to-day work of organizing papers and generally arranging proceed ings.

The Australian group presented a num

ber of formal papers, and contributed freely to general discussions. Professor A. P. Elkin, of Sydney, and Mr. N. B. Tin dale, of Adelaide, adequately treated the problem of the Australian aborigine, while Mr. F. E. Williams, Papua’s official an thropologist, delivered a most interesting public lecture on “In Primitive Papua.”

Mr. William C. Groves gave an address to the Pan-Pacific Union luncheon assembly, on “The Native Situation in the Terri tory of New Guinea.” The Australian group also presented a symposium before the Anthropological Society of Hawaii.

Fiji was represented by Hon. James Russell, Director of Education in that Colony; the Maoris and Polynesian gen

erally by Dr. Peter Buck and Dr. Ernest Beaglehole, anthropologists, and Mr. D.

G. Ball, of the Maori section of the N Z Dept, of Education; the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, by Mr. H. E. Maude (anthropolo gist and colonial official); Western Samoa, by Mr. D. J. Rutherford in person, and by a paper prepared by Mr. McKay, Secretary for Native Affairs in Samoa; and the Barstow Foundation in American Samoa was represented by Dr. Gordon Brown, anthropologist, who is conducting an interesting experiment in educating a group of Samoan native lads on the foun dation of Samoan native arts and culture.

This experiment will be watched with interest by students of race-contacts, if only because its procedure is radically opposed to the official educational pro gramme of American Samoa, which is organized to develop on English-speaking, semi-Europeanised Samoan people of the future. There is room for a number of experiments on similar lines in the South Pacific, in view of the present indefinite educational policies of certain territories, and it is not improbable that one or other of the Research Foundations may be pre vailed upon to supply the finance for such projects. Every member of the Confer ence seemed convinced of the wisdom of

a slow, experimental ’ and scientific ap proach to native education and develop ment in the future. To proceed too fast was to defeat the real purpose—of adjust ing native life to modern conditions of European civilization.

One British delegate, interviewed after the Conference had concluded, gave the following as representing the general con clusions which he personally drew from the sessions, especially in the matter of native education: 1. The desirability of protecting native peoples trom aggressive European contacts and conse quent disorganisation of social life. 2. The right of native peoples to develop and progress side by side with European occupation and development of the Territories concerned. 3. Need to give recognition to the worth-while and indispensable elements of native social life and culture in formulating educational schemes tor native development; adapting native culture to new conditions and blending it with those Euro pean practices necessary to such development. 4. All education aimed at native social develop ment must proceed slowly, the impulse to pro gress being made to come, as far as possible, from within the native societies themselves. 5. An evolutionary process of compromise in directing natives towards development, is more stable and far-reaching than a revolutionary and uncompromising Europeanising plan, such as has been pursued in certain Territories in the past. 6. Special attention needs to be given to the economic development of the native peoples, in dependently of European economic enterprises; such economic development to be planned and directed by the governments or under government educational supervision. 7. While the value of the social and educational work being done amongst native peoples by mis sions is recognised, it is desirable that such work be always subject to government regulation and supervision, and conducted in accordance with the general policy of native affairs of the government. 8. Because of the special part played by mis sions in native yillage life of to-day, the need for close co-operation and understanding between government and missions in all secular educational and social work is stressed. 9. An alliance of social anthropology and educa tion is desirable in organising projects for native development, in order that the projects may be built primarily on a natural foundation of native life, interests and institutions. Scientific know ledge of native sociology and psychology appears essential to success in a process of adaptation that aims at a blend of native and European cultures. 10. The need for continuity of effort in educa tional projects, frequent changes of policy, methods and educational personnel make for disjointed work, and bewilder the natives, who tend to lose confidence in the system. It is recognised that those missions have become most firmly and per manently established in native life, whose Euro pean staffing arrangements have undergone least changes. 11. A skeleton organisation of permanent govern ment educational staff, carefully-selected and rightly-trained, is more effective than a recur rently-changing temporary group. This applies more particularly to the directing personnel and those connected with supervision of missionary educational activities.