Native Education In New Guinea

Administration’s Policy Defended

Letter to the Editor.

I HAVE read with interest the contri buted article headed “New Guinea’s Wasteful, Feeble Record in Native Edu cation” (P.1.M., May 22). 1 would suggest that your contributor make himself thoroughly conversant with facts before writing statements which are far from correct.

He has apparently obtained his infor mation from other than official sources, and has rushed into print without troub ling to make himself acquainted with the true facts of the case, in his apparent desire to raise a laugh at the expense of the Administration.

The first pupils enrolled at the Adminis tration School at Kokopo were, as he says, drawn from all parts of the Territory.

This was probably a mistake, as the dia lects spoken by these natives were many and varied. Consequently the teacher “Billy” Groves —could not use the native language as a teaching medium, there being no native language common to all pupils.

He had two courses open; one, to use Pidgin as a teaching medium (which he did), and another, to begin teaching simple English words, phrases, and sentences in the first months, illustrating the different words by presenting objects or by actions.

Later, the pupils would learn to read these words and gradually increase their vocabulary. Progress with this method would be slow at first, but at the end of the second year the pupils would be able to speak, read, and write in simple Eng lish and understand commands given by the teacher.

The idea of this method —which is in use at the Malakuna School at the pre sent time —is to eliminate the use of Pid gin, which is not (and never will be) a satisfactory teaching medium.

The transfer of the Administration Native School from Kokopo to Malakuna (near Rabaul) took place in 1924. At about that time a Technical School was inaugurated at Malakuna for the purpose of instructing natives in the rudiments of carpentry, plumbing, painting, and sail making. This section of the Administra tion’s educational enterprise has proved very successful, and many trainees from the Technical School have obtained out side employment at wages ranging from 15/- to £3 a month.

Many of these trainees have proved equal to Asiatic tradesmen who are paid as much as £2O a month. The present demand by plantation owners and others for boys trained at the Administration Native Technical School is proof of the success of this section of the Govern ment’s educational policy.

Your contributor has either never heard of the Technical School, or has conve niently forgotten to mention it.

Certainly, the cost of building the Ele mentary and Technical Schools at Mala kuna was high (approximately £23,000), but at the time building materials were very costly, and the structures included a bungalow and a block of seven self-con tained flats, not to mention half-caste quarters. Yes, Mr. Editor, half-castes are educated at Administration schools, and, moreover, the Administration contributes towards the upkeep of half-castes kept in the mission schools.

Let me also inform your contributor that “Billy” Groves was married many

months before he left Rabaul, and, had the final choice been his, I do not doubt that he would have remained in Rabaul.

More teachers came. Though a small proportion left owing to the fact that the Administration had made no provision for a permanent teaching staff, I can name four teachers with six or more years of service, only one of whom left from choice.

I also know of six teachers who would be applicants for permanent appointment, should the Administration make provision for same. Two teachers at present on the staff have each more than nine years’ service.

Your contributor is somewhat astray when he states that the cost of educating a handful of natives (approximately 100) is £lO,OOO a year. It may have been so in “Billy” Groves’ time (although even at that time there were more than 100 pupils on the roll of the Elementary and Tech nical Schools).

At present there are three Administra

tion elementary schools (including two boarding establishments) and one techni cal school in operation, the total number of native pupils being more than 350.

The cost of these schools, including rations and issues for about 240 pupils (boarders), maintenance of buildings, etc., is less • than £ 2000 a year. Add to this the salaries of seven European teachers (three of whom are attached to the Tech nical School) and the total is less than £5OOO per annum. I might add that two

of the European teachers were appointed only at the beginning of this year, and r i, ns T e ars 1932-35 the European

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£7OO per annum less than the present Tn Instead of costing £lOO per annum for each pupil, as your contributor has tried to make out, the cost per annum is less than £l5 per pupil, and this includes the cost of rations for the 240 boarders mentioned above. Quite an appreciable reauction, is it not. Mr. Editor?

The missionaries may have laughed silently at the Administration’s efforts, though I doubt it. The Administration scheme for the education of natives was against the missions’ interests as it took numbers of natives out of their control,

though many natives recruited for the Administration schools were orphans not wanted in their villages or natives in whom the missions were not interested.

The Administration has not to my knowledge attempted to educate the natives to a standard beyond their capa bilities. The present standard is slightly lower than that aimed at by the missions, and the amount of time spent in secular education is approximately 50 per cent, more than the amount of time spent on similar subjects in mission village schools.

I have seen the syllabus requirements for the village schools of one mission, and it aims at a standard almost equal to that expected of European children, though the time allowed for instruction in secular subjects in village schools each week is only equal to two-thirds of the time spent by European children on similar subjects. Moreover, the work of teaching in these village schools is done by natives only. From personal observa tion, I should say that the missions con centrate on the brighter pupils in the vil lage schools, such pupils proceeding to their colleges for training to fit them as native missionaries. The missions are mainly concerned in spiritual teaching and in their colleges a big percentage of school time is taken up in Bible study and religious teaching.

When Mr. B. McKenna visited the Territory in 1929, he inspected both the Elementary and Technical School at Malakuna, and commented favourably on

the work being done there. He also visited the chief mission schools and colleges, and, in the case of one of these colleges' he reported:— “The site, buildings and surround ings are all that could be desired.

Habits of discipline are enforced and reasonably good progress appears to prevail.”

Beyond that he could say very little, as having no knowledge of the local ver nacular, he was unable to examine the

pupils thoroughly.

H , e f, ls ? visited several village schools controlled by the missions, and reported: “I visited one mission village school where I was not expected. The pupils were dirty and undisciplined, and de rived no benefit from the so-called teaching. Neglect was apparent everywhere. It is very desirable to vest control of schools of this type in the Director of Education.”

Mr McKenna also recommended the establishment of a college for the train mg of native teachers who would even tually be placed in charge of village schools controlled by the Administration ln . i , vl ® w of the diversity of dialects met with in the Territory, he suggested that English should be made the main instru ment of instruction. In his report he stated: “The teaching of English is funda mental, and, with proper methods, there is no reason why a native should not acquire a knowledge of English as readily as he does Pidgin. If one native language were common throughout the Territory it would be advisable to make it the main teach ing medium, but, as this is not so, there is a double reason for making English the main working tongue.”

So much for Mr. McKenna’s visit, about which your contributor would appear to have obtained “inside information” of the wrong kind.

The missions certainly deserve praise for the work done by them, though it can not be claimed that the natives educated by them are of use to anyone but the missionaries themselves. One cannot criti cise them in this respect as religious teaching takes first place in their training scheme.

Certainly, no taxes are raised by the Administration to aid the missions, but contributions are received from people in Australia and other countries. Moreover, in the case of at least one mission, the natives themselves contribute many thou sands of pounds annually.

The Administration’s aim has been to educate the natives to fit them for em ployment as native clerks, native teachers, or native storekeepers. A course of train ing at the Technical School is calculated to fit the native to obtain employment in one or other of the trades. That this policy has proved effective is shown by the fact that more than 30 pupils of the Elementary School at Malakuna have, in the past seven years, been placed in em ployment, while more than 40 pupils of the Technical School have found positions as carpenters or plumbers.

With regard to the two natives sent to Melbourne, I would inform your contribu tor that these “boys” did not leave

Rabaul until February, 1928 —just two years after “Billy” Groves had left. Again he errs in saying that they were brought back to Rabaul when the native strike occurred in 1929. They did not return to Rabaul until January, 1930 —just one year after the strike, and after they had com pleted two years (as specified) at a Vic torian State school. That the expenditure on these two natives was not wasted is evidenced by the fact that they are now proving useful to the Administration.

Other natives, at the end of their train ing, were placed in Administration offices, and most of them made good, thus saving the Administration a considerable amount in wages. In one or two instances it may be claimed that the natives so employed are at present doing work previously done by Europeans. This statement can be verified should your contributor desire to do so.

Your contributor says that a start was made at Kavieng and Nodup a few months after Mr. McKenna’s visit. He would, no doubt, be surprised to know that the Administration native school at Kavieng was opened in August, 1927 — two years before Mr. McKenna visited the Territory—while the school at Nodup was not started until 1932 (being opened in July of that year) exactly three years after Mr. McKenna’s visit.

General Griffiths’ scheme was to hand over the education of natives and Asia tics to the missions and to subsidise the missions on a basis of payment by results.

He intended to insist on the teaching of English, saying that missions which did not teach English would receive no sub sidy.

Your contributor continually mentions the gratuitous services given by the mis sions. The missionaries of most of the different societies in this Territory receive reasonable remuneration for their services and for the purpose of paying for these “gratuitous” services funds are raised, not only here, but also in other parts of the world. It is only right that they should receive payment for services ren dered, but why call such services “gratui tous” ?

All education should have a purpose in view. The aim of the missions in educat ing the natives would appear to be to select their brighter pupils for training as native missionaries. That this object can be more easily attained by combining secular and religious teaching is no reason why the Administration should be expected to subsidise the missions in their present object. The natives trained at mission colleges are of no benefit to the general public.

Far better would be General Griffiths’ idea of having the mission schools subsi dised by the Administration, provided that they conformed to the requirements of a syllabus set out by the Administration, and provided that they were prepared to allow for periodic inspections by Adminis tration officers. The Administration does not assist tire missions by means of mone tary grants, and at the present time there is no reason why it should. They are not bound down by any Administration laws in attempting to carry out their educa tional activities, and are not responsible to the Administration for the conduct of their schools.

Secular education is, to missions, of secondary importance, being merely a means to an end. Their best pupils sel dom (if ever) leave the services of the missions, and, therefore, are of little use to the European community generally.

It is complained that an extravagant system of education is provided for Euro pean children. Why should it not be so?

Simply because this Territory appears to

be so far from civilisation is no reason why a “ten cent” educational system should be provided for European children whose parents are compelled, through circumstances, to make the Territory their home, and who would find it both expensive and inconvenient to have their children educated elsewhere.

Education of European children in the Territory is proving scarcely more expensive than the systems provided for white children in other parts of the world. As Mr. McKenna remarked: “In education more, perhaps, than in anything else, you get just what you pay for.” Parents in

New Guinea have the right to expect at least a reasonable education for their children. The present system can scarcely be called extravagant when one considers the qualifications of the teachers employed in this work and the standard reached by the pupils. i fail to agree with your contributor in his statement that the education of natives by the Administration has proved useless, and that the natives cannot respond to it.

The Administration has achieved results with its present educational policy, and has proved that the natives are educable.

More than a few of the “ripe fruits of

the system” have proved their usefulness and were in employment as early as 1928.

The Administration has proved that the native can be educated both technically and in the “three R’s.” It does not claim to have turned out bachelors of arts or science during the past decade, though this is what your contributor apparently has expected.

I am sure that “only ignorance” of the true facts of the case has been the cause of the outburst on the part of your con tributor, who appears to have had “inside” (although not authentic) information.

I am, etc.,

"Fair Go."

Rabaul, New Guinea, 13/7/1936.

Pastor R. Reye, of the S.D.A. organisa tion in Western Samoa, arrived in Sydney by the August Mariposa.