To Boy-House
p. 18 · Read in the full issue
Ng Students Dilemma
At Lae:
From Boarding School To Boy-House
THERE were complaints and some heartburnings in Lae (NG) in December-January when native students passing through that centre from boardingschoas were forced to take overnight accom modation in the local native labour compound, or, alternatively, in Qantas boy-house.
In trying to find themselves better accommodation, several of the students managed to miss their plane connection.
' The Morcbe Education Officer, Mr.
E. Dobbyn, said that if these students were considered fit for hisrher education in Australia, then something better than the native labour compound was needed for their transient accommodation. . . .
The Government Secretary later announced that if Qantas were un able to provide suitable accommo dation for these people, the Admin istration would do so. In Port Moresby, he said, suitable accom modation was provided at the quarters erected for the Native Members of Legislative Council.
Comment
Implied in the reports and an nouncements about this tea-cup storm is some criticism of Qantas.
This does not seem fair. The de cision to send these native youngsters to school in Australia was purely a Government one; and the Govern ment, therefore, should have been farseeing enough to take care of the minor consequences that were sure to accrue. Transient accom modation was one of these.
There has been controversy in the Territory as to whether natives should be sent to secondary schools in Australia. Majority opinion appears to be that they should not —that these native people are not yet sufficiently advanced. Majority opinion could be right. Or, altern ately, it could be that it is the European population of P-NG that is not sufficiently advanced for such a social experiment.
Most other Pacific Islands terri tories took this particular hurdle half a century ago, and have sur mounted it. Secondary schools for native people exist in most of the Islands territories outside P-NG.
Yet the brightest students and those who through birth or ability are destined to become the leaders of their communities, continue to be sent to good schools and Universities in New Zealand, Australia or the United Kingdom.
There has never been anything to show that the Islands territories
concerned have lost anything this; to the contrary. Unlike sim British experiments with Asian African students, the sending 1 Pacific islands students abroad not produced a discontented strai of native society—not yet, any\