Cook Islands Tackles Two

Educational Dilemmas

Prom a special correspondent

The Cook Islands Education De partment has embarked on a number of innovations which may have pro found effects on the entire educa tional process there. It was decided that the third-form entry into Tereora College should be restricted, and that for a trial period all third-form pupils at Titikaveka (on Rarotonga) and Mauke Island should attend the local schools which would be given the status of high schools. The intention is that, eventually, almost all lower secondary school pupils will remain in their village schools.

The changes, planned in February, were to be immediate. The two pri mary schools were to be transferred into high schools within 14 days.

Both the Premier, Sir Albert Henry, and the Minister of Social Services, Mr T. A. Henry, gave assurances to parents and teachers that the gov ernment would fully support the two schools in the way of additional accommodation, staffing and equip ment.

There was reaction from some parents and from the Opposition Democratic Party. The latter in The Weekender said “What is the object of all these measures? Is it, to quote the Premier, that ‘The Cook Islanders are getting too well edu cated?’ Are these measures aimed at correcting this grave fault?” Un doubtedly there are some economic reasons for the changes. The govern ment obviously wants to reduce the cost of school bus transport on Raro tonga and also, it seems, to reduce the number of expatriate teachers employed on Rarotonga.

In an interview, the Premier said there were also certain social reasons for re-assessing the educational struc ture of the Cook Islands. He wanted to stabilise the population by retain ing as many pupils as possible in the village schools in all islands.

He also considered that a heavy emphasis on academic attainments in the present secondary school system was not necessarily providing the pool of trade and semi-trade skills re quired to service development needs.

Sir Albert also wanted to ensure that the education system developed diversified agricultural skills. He sees the village schools as playing a vital role in that respect.

In a further move to prune the educational structure, there has been no new intake of students into the

Teachers’ Training College for 1975.

Some staff has been transferred to Tereora College.

Demographically, the Cook Islands are in an “at risk” situation. Air New Zealand flights are crowded with young people migrating to seek jobs.

Labour in the islands is becoming scarce and obviously the viability of many government plans depends on finding ways of stemming the flow to New Zealand. It may well be that the educational innovations will pro vide part of the answer, but the education authorities obviously need a measure of breathing space in which to move a system largely estab lished during the New Zealand ad ministration.

They also face two educational dilemmas. • Priorities must be decided. Are young Cook Islanders being educated for life in their home islands, for life in industrialised New Zealand, or a mixture of both? • Decisions must be made as to how academic education will be provided for those pupils who will be destined to compete academically in professional and technical training overseas.

The Cook Islands will continue to need an inflow of its own select young people with highly-skilled qualifications. It is to be hoped that the government will be able to pro vide the answer to The Weekender which commented, “In the event that localisation succeeds in the meantime, there will come a time when, be cause of a lack of continuity, we will have to call on overseas experience to fill the gap. That would be another retrograde step”.

Sir Albert’s educational programme was stated quite clearly when he spoke to the parents of Titikaveka, “Today you don’t have to travel 1,600 miles for higher education. This move by the Education Department is to bring the education into the community, bring it closer to your home”. • Salaries for civil servants in the Cook Islands are now the second highest in the South Pacific, the Premier, Sir Albert Henry, said when he announced a new scale. The new maximum is $9,100 a year, paid to secretaries of ministers, department directors and specialists. The mini mum pay for beginners is $B6O a year. Fiji has the highest scale.

The United Nations has declared 1975 International Women’s Year, but whether it will bring about far reaching changes is another matter.

Nevertheless, it is a good opportunity for people and governments to face the issue and attempt to bring about some change.

As far as governments in the Pacific are concerned, the response has been more in token words than in substantial financial support or a genuine desire to improve the position af women in Pacific societies. The Papua New Guinea Government has given $68,000 for International Women’s Year activities in that country. But it is the only one to Jo so. It also has the improvement af the position of women as part of ts Eight Point Plan. Sometimes that is forgotten but at least it is there.

The women of the Pacific are not going to let this opportunity slip by meventfully. A South Pacific Re gional Women’s conference will be leld at the end of the year, at which vomen from all over the region will alk about themselves and what they ee as the main issues and problems :oncerning them.