Instant High School

Teachers Too

The P-NG Director of Educa tion in Port Moresby announced in late August that an attempt would be made to recruit 50 secondary school teachers in the United Kingdom. The Territory was finding it impossible to get sufficient of these teachers from Australia, he said.

The announcement seems to sit oddly alongside the fore gone conclusion that the Terri tory will have a university as soon as possible—and even sooner than that if the politicans have their way—so that, as our Port Moresby correspondent puts it, the attacks of international critics will be blunted.

Bearing in mind the ever lasting scream from Australian universities about lack of staff, no money, overcrowding, and so forth, one may wonder if P-NG realises what it is letting itself in for. Australian universities are at least partly self-supporting but the P-NG institution will be vir tually a free university and could become a great drain on the Ter ritory's financial resources.

If Sir George Currie thinks that a misguided Madang planter is the only reactionary in the Territory, he’s fooling himself.

There are many who feel that a P-NG university— at this time— is absurd but, as in many other vital matters (such as the ques tion of mixed marriages ) they have learned to keep their opinions to themselves.

His proposal represented a com promise between the problem posed by the shortage of students approach ing matriculation standard, and the heavy weight of native opinion that degrees earned at a Territory uni versity should rank with those of universities elsewhere.

Staggered System

He sugested a staggered system of entry, taking students from as low as intermediate standard, provided they had some professional experience, or as high as Australian matriculation level. Once the university was firmly established, he pointed out, and larger numbers of high-level students were available, the situation could be re viewed and the level for matricula tion raised.

Mr. Johnson sugested that, initially, there should be faculties of arts, science, engineering, education, medi cine, agricultural science, law, eco nomics and administration. He fore saw the awarding of diplomas as well as degrees in all courses.

Noting the large majority of gov ernment employees likely to comprise the student body in early years, he urged strong government representa tion on the university’s controlling body.

However, at the same time, he pressed for the Vice-Chancellor to

have a wide area for independent ac tion, clearly defined to negate political and official intervention. He recom mended only a loose association with an Australian institution.

For the next two months, members of the Commission will investigate the mechanics of university administra tion in the Australian capital cities, and will later extend their inquiries to New Zealand and Fiji.

The report to the Minister will be written piecemeal by the three mem bers over the next three months, and then collated. It should be in the hands of the Commonwealth Govern ment by Christmas.