Educational Aims

Minister Details Educational Aims In New Guinea

From our Canberra Correspondent Education in Papua - New Guinea ould not “educate people out of the ound which nourishes them,” the inister for Territories, Mr. Hasluck, Id the House of Representatives.

TURING the discussion of Terri " tory Estimates the Minister gave 3 most comprehensive review of 3 aims of P-NG which has yet en given on behalf of the Govern 3nt.

Here are some of his quotes on oad policy: “We should not hold back anyone Dm opportunity for educational ad ncement, but we also have to de lop an educational system closely Lated to the situation of the Terri ry community of the future.

“We do not want to use our schools produce imitation Australians of e past century.

“We want Papuans of the new ntury.

“We do not want education to be mething that pulls the native boy i by the roots and separates him Dm his country and his people.

“We talk too easily of education though it is a manufactured article at can be imported into one country am another and put to use just like motor vehicle.”

The Minister defended the Ad inistration’s policy of gradualism in NG education.

He pointed out that even in Aus- Uia, where everyone spoke English, iere books and radio were common, id education a familiar part of the cial background, children spent 12 13 years at school before reaching atriculation level.

In view of the difficulties confront g Territory children, they might asonably be expected to take longer.

However, present secondary school irolments were the result of enrol ents in 1955 or earlier and the uni rsity students of the next few years ould be drawn from those who were irted at school from 1951 onwards.

The Minister said one serious oblem was the heavy wastage of jdents at the age of 15 or 16.

Employment opportunities were so tractive and the natives’ cultural ickground was such that they had tie inducement to remain at school ice they became men.

Figures which Mr. Hasluck gave suggested that Australia is still likely to be under criticism in UN and elsewhere on its education policies for some years to come.

This year, he said, there were three native students at Australian universities, studying agricultural science, economics and law.

Of the 620 children who would leave secondary schools next year only 20 would have reached Leaving or Matriculation standard.

And even by 1967 numbers reaching Leaving standard would only be “well above 120”, although in the same year about 2,000 would leave school at various stages below Leaving.

Later, answering a series of ques tions from Mr. Beaton (Lab., Vic.), Mr. Hasluck promised to get the special committee which is examining tertiary education in P-NG to con sider whether Malay might be intro duced in secondary schools as a second language to English, Mr. Beaton’s question opened up a lot of long term political possibilities, With the Indonesian takeover of West New Guinea Malay will become even more common in that half of the island than at present, It is reasonable to suppose that under Indonesian administration the main language will be Malay and that if there is a second language English will oust Dutch.