P-NG ‘Crash’ Teachers

Arrive With A Bang

From “PlM’s” Rabaul Correspondent The paint was only just dry and plumbers were still connecting water supply when 60 teaching recruits from Australia moved into r new training college at Rabaul in early November.

add to the fun, one of the artered aircraft which ought the trainees to Rabaul L 10 minutes ahead of schedule >eat the welcoming party to irodrome. to top off the day of sur one of the “trainees” re himself as a new staff mem r the college on loan from the louth Wales Education Depart- He didn’t let the cat out of ig until he was about to be in one of the student’s modation cubicles, party travelled in a chartered ’t from Sydney to Lae, and 3ame on to Rabaul in three 1e r aircraft. Their arrival d the start of Papua-New a,’s much publicised scheme ss produce 60 teachers every lonths for duty in native s. (See “Pacific Report,” p. despite the inevitable first- Dnfusion, the opening of the e was a success and the new -3 were enthusiastic about quarters, training facilities pportunities. official inauguration was held n the day in a classroom carpenters had completed 8 hours previously. newcomers were welcomed l imposing array of senior dstration officers, including Assistant Administrator of -New Guinea, Dr. J. Gunther; rector of Education, Mr. G. T. ;; the New Britain District issioner, Mr. J. R. Foldi; the of the Division of Teacher ng, Mr. D. Owner; and the it Education Officer, Mr. F.

"Most Exciting Time"

Gunther told the trainees bey had arrived “at our most ig time”. Mr. Foldi told them, j’s no need to be pukka , but remember your dignity osition at all times in front native people.” the highlight of the in ition was the address given '. Roscoe in which he sum id Australia’s work in P-NG, i penetrating analysis of the ion programme, and answered of the criticism which has directed at the new teacher ig scheme. the first time in years Mr. * went back to the black

board, writing down the main points of his address as he spoke.

He told the new trainees that Australia was dedicated to the economic, social and political de velopment of the native people in P-NG. “And any comforts which we give to the Europeans who carry out our work are not for that fact alone, but are to help in the task of bringing development to the native people,” he added.

Australia’s two major aims in education were universal primary education and universal literacy in English, he said. This differed from the system in Netherlands New Guinea where there was concentra tion on the higher education of an elite or aristocracy.

NNG Underpinning Weak Mr. Roscoe said: “We believe that our system is the best as a foundation for a democratic society.

The Dutch may be building a higher tower, but their underpinning is weak.”

Mr. Roscoe also defended Aus tralia’s target of providing literacy in English rather than in native languages. There were 500 languages, he said, and to be literate in any one native language did nothing to promote unity throughout the Territory.

In addition, the native who could read and write only his own language could find little to read except scriptures or hymn books produced by the missions. Literacy in English threw open a wide field of literature and technology.

Some of the mission schools favoured teaching in the mother tongues of the native people, but many of them were now adopting the Administration’s attitude, he added.

He gave a summary of the teach ing techniques which the trainees would learn, and defended the new trainee system in the face of earlier criticism.

He told the trainees that if they gained the confidence of the native people they would become much more than school teachers.

"Give Help"

He said: “You will find yourself approached for advice on every possible subject. Please don’t turn away the people who ask for your help, but be very careful that you know the right answers before you

reply. If you have any doubts about what to say, get in touch with an officer of the Native Affairs Department, Mr. Roscoe was subsequently criticised from Port Moresby by the Rev. Percy Chatterton, of the Lon don Missionarv Society on the grounds that he had attacked the missions over the policy of literacy in native languages.

But trainees who heard Mr.

Roscoe speak strongly denied that he had attacked the missions in any way.

Said one of the trainees: “‘He gave what seemed to be a balanced and factual account of a situation, and he attacked no one. As far as the missions were concerned, he praised them in general for what they were doing and made it quite clear that there was no competition in education between the Adminis tration and the missions.”

The trainees spent the first full day after their arrival by attend ing a public service induction course. By the end of the week they had already settled into the routine of their teachers’ training course.

The staff member of the training college who flew to Rabaul at the same time as the trainees said he was impressed by the facilities offer ing at the training college.

He is Mr. A. Berglund, formerly of North Newtown Demonstration School, New South Wales.

Mr. Berglund said he saw no reason why the trainee scheme should not be highly successful. He also said that he was impressed by the type of trainee who had been selected for the course.

The trainees will finsh their course in April next year and then will be sent to native schools throughout the Territory while a new batch of trainees will move into the college.