Standard Of Education

In Cook Islands

Letter to the Editor jfT is surprising, to say the least, 11 that Mr. Rae, with his qualifi cations, should have been noodwinked into the statement jipon teacher-trainees that appears in the article in your May number, “Future of Cook Islands.”

Rarely have I read such a short sighted suggestion as that Raro >ongan teacher-trainees should be trained to a standard lower than [he NZ ‘C’ Certificate, but adequate, s he saw it, (I am glad of that i-eservation, and really must ques tion his eyesight) for local require ments.

I should like to know if local re liuirements have been established ind if they have been accepted at i lower than usual level, particu larly in' view of the intended (some Hay) establishment of Tereora College. I should like to know also :f the lower standard suitable for ocal requirements would be based apon less teaching method or less übject knowledge. Such a method >f training would require a special iepartment in the NZ Training Colleges, or a Training Depot in Rarotonga, both unpractical; vhereas the earlier establishment »f the College, which has been )igeon-holed for so many years, night partly solve the problem.

Whichever way it is looked at, the suggestion represents something fought against for years in the in terests of educational progress; and to accept it would be a retrograde step—unless a highly educated Rarotongan population that might think for itself is something not wanted.

There are some young teachers in Rarotonga with more natural ability than many (so-called) trained NZ teachers, but lack proper training and the opportunity now to acquire it. There are older teachers with little training of any sort, but with more natural ability as teachers than some NZ teachers.

They realise their inefficiencies and plead for proper training, but no opportunity or legislation exists to give it.

Wherever there are Cook Island

teachers capable of further train ing they should be given it now, irrespective of service, and a sys tem should come into effect where by young teachers who have the ability are trained on an equality with NZ teachers and are remuner ated accordingly.

Any “difficulty” would be over come by stipulating a number of years of teaching in NZ after train ing. If, upon their return to Raro tonga at the end of this period, their higher salaries still tended to upset the economic set-up in the Cook Islands, this would have to be accepted for the general benefit of the population. In view of the pre sent policy to replace seconded NZ headmasters by Cook Island teachers, there is no question of the necessity for fully training them for SUCh Work. (Next Page)

Cook Islands may be a white ele phant, a drag upon the NZ tax payers’ pockets, but this is no ex cuse for allowing £.s.d. to be a bar to progress. In our present progress cowards equal rights of races, be they coloured or white, there must be "equal advantages and oppor tunities. Having forced a taste of European ways upon these Islands people, administrations cannot deny them a full meal —if they demand it and can digest it.

It might be argued that the cost of such official visits to the Islands might well be put towards the train ing of Islands teachers. Concern ing the shipping services required by the Cook Islands, it might be said that the words spoken over years upon the same subject could well have been put into actions in stead.

I am, etc.

Ex-Raro

June 17.