Contact

Native Education And Culture

New Guinea's Failure to Evolve a Policy

IN a recent issue of “Oversea Education” (the Colonial Office official journal of education published by the Secret ary of State) appear three interesting ar ticles which cover similar ground in the widely separated territories of Rhodesia, the Union of South Africa, and the Ter ritory of New Guinea.

It is interesting to note the similarity in the related problems of native educa tion and social development in the three places,

The Rhodesias

THE article on the situation in Rho desia deals in some detail with the

problem of education in relation to the native village—in face of the alarm ing exodus of adult male natives and their employment on European mining and industrial enterprises.

In permitting this unregulated exodus, it is pointed out that, in Rhodesia, as in New Guinea, “we are draining the native reserves of their brightest spirits and most useful citizens, and are thereby tending to hinder the course of native development”.

While education (in its wide social con notation, and not merely as formal schooling on the European pattern) is powerless to prevent this situation, it can contribute in a practical way towards adjusting the village life to the new conditions. It is the old problem of so cial adjustment—a problem which has never before been met in such acute and urgent form as with the process of de tribalising of native peoples in increasing contact with European civilisation going on at the present time.

Broadly speaking, the development of native agriculture, with groups of vil lages as co-operating units, under regu lar “educational” guidance and expert supervision (focussing upon schools with agricultural teaching bias) is suggested as a means of social stabilisation, and as a counter to the detrlbaiising influences.

Union Of South Africa

r:E article on the situation in the Union of South Africa consists of a summary by Professor A. Victor Murray, of the “Report of the Inter-de partmental Committee on Native Educa tion, 1935-36” (Government Printer, Pre toria) .

The report deals fully with the vexed question of the relation of missions and government in native education and so cial development. It is concerned with what is and what might be; it is both liberal in its outlook, and radical and constructive- in its suggestion. It deals not only with the aims of native educa tion and the carrying out of those aims in the school systems, but with the prac tical problems of administration in rela tion to education. It looks to the school as the social development centre of the community it serves; deals with the ur gent need for co-operation of all admin istrative agencies (medicine and agricul ture, for example) in the educational programme; and with the problem of lan guage; and generally lifts the whole question of native education out of its traditional utilitarian rut.

Territory Of New Guinea

rE article dealing with New Guinea is by Dr. Raymond Firth, Reader in Social Anthropology at London Uni versity, a member of the Colonial Office Advisory Committee on Education, and an authority on the anthropology and ad ministration of Pacific natives. It con sists of a comprehensive review of the book by Mr. W. C. Groves (educational ist and anthropologist) published in 1936 by the Australian Council for Educational Research and the Oxford University Press, “Native Education and Culture Contact in New Guinea”.

Dr. Firth, using the data of Mr.

Groves’ study, first presents the existing situation in New Guinea in relation to native education —practically the whole of the village educational work (apart from the special work of the Department of Agriculture, with its system of inspec

tion of village plantations and its agri cultural training centre at Keravat) be ing done by the Christian missions, with out oversight or direction by the Admin istration.

The special nature of the educational problem in New Guinea is next de?i with. Mr. Groves, in his approach to the work under review, says Dr. Firth, “was forced to envisage the native educational requirements in terms of the problems of small communities, separated by linguis tic and cultural differences, dominated by simple agricultural and fishing inter ests, by extensive systems of exchange of goods, by complex funeral ceremonies, by a high regard for the ties of kinship: and having some external contact with the alien ways of Europeans”.

“To such people ... the ordinary school routine is meaningless; and even technical training in European crafts is of value to only a small minority.

“The author’s general theme”, contin ues Dr. Firth”, is the social content and aim of education. ... It should aim at raising native standards of housing and hygiene; improving production methods and the food supply; initiating group and individual projects which will provide the native with means to acquire such European goods as will simplify his daily life and ensure greater personal com fort; giving instruction in the under standing and use of medical services.

“Mr. Groves’ study of the desirable con tent and method of native education is excellent”, continues the review. “He shows how the school must be supple mented by other mechanisms. He stresses the need in actual teaching to utilise the native background, and offers numerous valuable teaching suggestions. He insists that the village must be the real focus of educational activity, the people must be made to feel that it is their own school, and the scholars helped to fit in their lessons with their daily life. He would press into service here local native crafts, dancing and drama, initiation ceremonies and agricultural ritual, organ ise school fish-drives and copra-curing with adult assistance. Following up the technique used with such effect by Dr.

Mimford at Malangali, he suggests utilis ing native elders as part of the teaching system. And he puts forward a system atic sets of ideas for the development of a body of native educational leaders.

“All these suggestions”, says Dr. Firth, “deserve the most serious attention by any Government which realises intelli gently its responsibilities to the native people under its charge.

“It is rare in a field affecting native interests to find a book in which the problems are so clearly envisaged, the theoretical and practical technique of analysis is so closely welded, and such carefully elaborated schemes of improve ments are put forward. In spite of its regional title, the book should serve as a manual of reference for the study of primitive education in any situation of

culture-change”.

High praise, indeed, coming from such a source.

Rt. Rev. Octave Terrienne, M.S.C., who was recently consecrated in France as Bishop of the Gilbert Islands, arrived in Sydney late in October by the “Strath allan”. He spent several weeks in Syd ney before continuing on to the G and E. Colony.

Mr. H. J. S. Allen, Acting Controller of Customs, Suva, has been provisionally appointed an Official Member of the Fiji Legislative Council during the ab sence on leave of Mr. J. M. Wilson, 0.8. E., Comptroller of Customs.