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Teacher Education in Papua New Guinea: Policy and Practice 1946-1996

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Teacher Education in Papua New Guinea: Policy and Practice 1946-1996 TEACHER EDUCATION IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA: POLICY AND PRACTICE 1946-1996 VOLUME I Pamela Anne Quartermaine, T.C.(W.Aust.), A.I.Ed.(London), M.A.(M.S.U.) SQ...c cu-· o\ ci ~ <:J<-0 < ?c ~ ~ · Cc.v.,.. .p 0 \sot ~ £cl0 c._ Q...b 00 Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Tasmania at Launceston June 2001 DECLARATION I certify that this thesis contains no material which has been accepted for a degree or diploma in any university or other institution and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis . o---LI Pamela Anne Quartermaine 2.$"'. b· ..200/ AUTHORITY OF ACCESS This thesis may be made available for loan and limited copying in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. Pamela Anne Quartermaine 2.S-. b. z_ool ABSTRACT This was a study in Papua New Guinea (PNG) of the planning and implementation of a new three-year teacher education programme, the Diploma in Teaching (Primary). What the indigenous staff in the nine residential colleges did to introduce the programme between 1991 and 1993, was seen at the outset by the writer to be an important culmination of all that preceded the innovation. The context, therefore, is detailed historically for the 50 years from 1946 to 1996, indicating teacher training and teacher education policy development, the process of staff localisation (indigenisation) and college programme evolution. The pioneering work of indigenous PNG school teachers was a significant contribution to the country's development, consequently the way they were prepared for their work and roles was a useful investigation. The need for education was apparent as the training and employment of indigenous people accelerated at all levels in the workforce. Political Independence in 1975 heralded withdrawal of many Australian Public Servants. Papua New Guinea's contacts with the wider world were assisted by those proficient in the English language and modernisation demanded 'international standards', a term used by a Prime Minister, Sir Julius Chan. All of the changes over fifty years required a person to be educated differently than before. The study involved collecting data through multi-site and multi-method means as follows: Observations and interviews of lecturers in colleges and a survey with administrators at the end of the first year of the Diploma implementation; an analysis of staff reports, which had been written in each of the three years, and an examination of the responses to a questionnaire sent to colleges at the time of the graduation of their first Diploma cohort. The instruments were designed for this study. The historical data were located in a range of official and private documents, and secondary sources, as well as conversations with people who earlier served in PNG (and personal experience). The analysis fitted together the story of teacher education in Papua and New Guinea. It is written mainly from a government policy perspective although data included material from college staff, Christian church agencies, universities and involved national, provincial and international groups and individuals. Limitations to the study may be partly associated with paucity of access to official records and transient key actors due to a 'developing country' situation. In terms of findings of the study data show that new policies need to be clear if they are ii to be implemented as planned and adopted not adapted; the possibility in a joint working relationship of tensions between Church agency goals and Government objectives and responsibilities; cross-cultural communication is a requirement and can never be assumed to be effective; assistance for a young country needs to start from where it sees itself; dissonant events and timing between host country and donor agency require non­ threatening processes for adjustment and timing of intervention is important; the fragility of modem structures needs to be taken into account when planning change; ownership is crucial to meaningful participation by a developing country; a vision for change needs to be clarified with the teacher before commencement as failure to do so results in interpretation and action even more varied than normal; in a culture where criticism is not normally in public or the classroom, educational research documents, even if constructively critical, may not be read and there is a need for understanding continuity, overall policy formulation and coordination of implementation. The thesis may assist volunteer staff agencies recruiting for a developing country setting, teacher educators, policy-makers, external funding agencies, indigenous leaders and historians. iii Acknowledgements I wish to thank Professor John Williamson for his vigour, supervisory skills and editorial expertise in the formation of this work. I appreciate his courtesy and patience and encouragement through to its completion. Acknowledgment is given to Professor P Hughes for introduction to the University of Tasmania, Hobart, to Dr Don Levis for field research advice in 1991 and for hospitality when I returned, and to Professor Williamson who agreed to my transfer to Launceston campus in 1994 and later to facilitate research progress including bi-annual visits, from Western Australia. A coincidence was to find that Mr P C Clifford, my teacher for many years in Dumbleyung, WA, was principal of Launceston Teachers' College (1961-1967) preceding Dr Levis (Fist 1993). The help of the University administrative staff, particularly Kaye Garwood and the librarians, and of post-graduate and overseas students was welcome as was, in the commuting years, residence at Kerslake Hall. The Research Committee and the Student Administration Office of the University of Tasmania supported me and awarded exemption from payment of an annual Higher Education Contribution. I am very grateful for the input of the following people acknowledged in order of contact: the 19 PNG lecturers visited in 1991; Mrs M M Liriope for consent to use staff reports and questionnaires and Mr P Modakewau for distribution of the interim report back to lecturers within PNG; Dr J B Farrell, Mr N K Robinson and Dr G Gibson for written comments on one of three historical chapters; Mr M Smith for records research and Miss Y Kunasai for PNG newspapers between 1994 and 1998; Mrs Joyce Eade-Mikosza, Murdoch University, WA for five years of assistance with sorting references and Mrs Geraldine Erlandson for professional secretarial services and collating the document. I pay tribute to the people from around the world who taught in the developing PNG teachers' colleges and to my earlier tutors - Dr R Goodman, Dr P C C Evans and Dr C Brembeck. Finally, to commemorate PNG colleagues Bill Magnay, John Lee, lama Nau, Waituka Maina, Ted Fitzgerald and Kiane Julius Towandong, Principal, Balob Teachers' College, Lae who died on duty in 1995 aged 43 years. Kiane led committees for his church and regularly represented the provincial colleges at central office meetings while enthusiastically implementing the Diploma programme at his college. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No CHAPTER ONE: THE INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY 1 INTRODUCTION 1 NATION BUILDING 1 The Community School (Primary) and Its Teachers 3 Community School (Primary) Teacher Education 5 The Philosophy of Education for PNG 7 Teacher Education Staff 10 THE AIM OF THE STUDY 10 THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS 10 CONCLUSION 12 CHAPTER TWO: THE FOUNDATIONS OF PAPUA NEW GUINEAN EDUCATION FROM SETTLEMENT TO MID-1946 13 INTRODUCTION 13 GOVERNMENTS FROM 1884 TO 1945 16 German New Guinea - Territory of New Guinea 16 British New Guinea - Papua 17 The Provisional Administration for the Territories of Papua and New Guinea 1945 18 FOUNDATIONS FOR FORMAL SCHOOLING 1873 TO 1946 19 Christian Missions in British New Guinea later Papua 19 Christian Missions in German New Guinea later Territory of New Guinea 23 Early Government Schools in Papua 26 Early Government Schools in New Guinea 29 Post-World War II 32 CONCLUSION 33 CHAPTER THREE: LITERATURE REVIEW 36 INTRODUCTION 36 RESEARCH QUESTION 1 36 Introduction 36 Post-World War II and Australia's Involvement in the Territories of Papua and New Guinea 36 The Attitudes of Australians as Developers in Papua New Guinea 39 A Focus on Teacher Education 40 Church and State Partnership in the Development of a Teacher Education System 41 The Institute of Education: A Model Used in British Colonies and Adapted for PNG 42 The Commission for Higher Education and Its Changing Roles in the 1990s 43 British Influences on Teacher Education Developments in PNG 44 New Global Forces on PNG Teacher Education Policies in the 1990s 45 RESEARCH QUESTION 2 47 Introduction 47 Definition of Localisation 47 Localisation in the PNG Teacher Education System 49 v Post-1990 and the National Lecturers Who Were the Product of Localisation 52 RESEARCH QUESTION 3 53 Introduction 53 Definition of a Programme in the PNG Teachers' College Context 53 Preservice Programmes for Preparing PNG Primary Teachers 54 Comparative and International Teacher Education Programmes 55 PNG Programme Unique Elements: Language and Relevance 56 How Long Should the Teacher Education Programme Be? 58 Changes to the Community School Teacher Education Programme and System in 1990 58 RESEARCH QUESTION 4 59 Introduction 59 Implementation Based on Rationale for Change: From the Certificate to the Three Year Diploma 59 Implementation by Colleges Underway
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