Administration-Mission Friction

Possible in Education Field

SUVA, April 21.

CRITICISM of the secular system J of education in many Fijian :hools is voiced by the Rev. Dr. A. . Cato, in the Fiji Witness, a lethodist Mission journal.

Quoting the 1946 Education Plan, 'r. Cato says that “it is unworthy of ritish administration and also un ientific to generalise for the whole olony and for all races”.

The section of the Plan referred to ates: “No Government teacher ould be permitted to take part in :ligious instruction in any school ive at the direction of the anager, and then only in schools mtrolled by the missions or schools ith a religious background”.

Dr. Cato says that for the Indian immunity with ks ancient and corded- systems of belief, there iay be some justification for this •onouncement; “but for the Fijian jople, with their old, unwritten and )w disintegrating ancestor-worship, ith their request, in the Deed of ession, for the promotion of hristianity, such avoidance of the lallenge to educate for complete, /ing is indefensible”.

The fault with the administration, e writer continues, “lies not in a ommunistic opposition to religion at in a more deadly neglect of 99 He expresses the opinion that if e tragedy of open conflict between ijians and Indians should occur, a ajor contributing factor would be he premature, un-British neglect of asitive Christian education for the ijians”; and adds that a large amber of British educators realise _at knowledge alone is no guarantee : right conduct, and “do not advo ite a policy of least resistance sat- Pactory to short-term Government ficials who may not stay long aough with the educands to face the timate consequences”.

Editorial Note

Methodists now are a strong - force in Fiji, as in Tonga. They ive been responsible for an lormous amount of well-organised ork among the Fijians, and they aim that a majority of the Fijians )w are adherents of the Methodist hurch.

The important part taken by the irious Churches in the various in the “Europeanisation”

P the natives now poses, for the

respective administrations, a problem of peculiar thorniness.

The Churches, having done so much of the work that should origin ally have been done by the responsible Governments, are in clined to be resentful of any invasion of their domain by the administrations. The latter, under a new world-wide conception of their obligations towards subject peoples, now plan to introduce far-reaching

systems of secular education; and they are finding it exceedingly diffi cult to plan such systems so that they may be adjusted to the mission controlled education systems, which necessarily are very closely allied with religious instruction of diverse kinds.

The statements of Dr. Cato indi cate that great wisdom and caution must be exercised by the Govern ments concerned, if bitter friction is to be avoided. If the teaching of only one religion or sect were in volved, a solution should not be difficult to find. The Governments are not anti-religious. The trouble

is that there are so many different kinds of religious teaching, and each is so jealous of the other, and so ready to defend its established interests, without compromise.

It is not a pretty picture; and it reflects unflatteringly upon the

Western civilisation which we are asking the Pacific Islanders to accept.

The Yen. Archdeacon and Mrs. A.

E. Teall, Lolowai, New Hebrides, arrived in Sydney, in March, and went on to Tasmania, on leave.