Eumundi Voice - Issue 108, 12 December 2024

Teaching in PNG

In a recent Eumundi Voice article (Issue 102) I discussed the role Australia played in the development of Papua New Guinea (PNG) through the provision of patrol officers who were stationed all around PNG, particularly in remote areas.

However, there was another group of individuals who also had a significant effect on the development of PNG through the provision of a high standard of education – teachers. The teaching pool consisted of qualified teachers provided by the Australian Administration, churches of all denominations, missionaries and agencies such as Volunteers Abroad.

PNG is one of the most culturally diverse countries of the world and is often referred to as the Land of the Unexpected. There are over 800 active languages with each region having its own unique cultures and customs. Due to this diversity, there was a real need to educate and provide the people with a common language.

The first school in PNG was established in 1873 by English missionaries with English and German taught as the primary languages. In 1914 during WWI, Australia took control over German New Guinea and English became the sole official language.

The Australian School of Pacific Administration (ASOPA) was established after WWII to train suitable people for post-war work in the colonial administration of Papua and New Guinea, later adding teacher training to its functions. However, it was not until 1954 that ASOPA began to train

Australian teachers for service in PNG and the Northern Territory. For some time, the training took place at the distant Bathurst Teachers’ College but was eventually transferred to Middle Head in 1958 and trainees were designated Cadet Education Officers. These teachers were posted to all corners of PNG – many in remote areas.

The Australian Government had realised, by this time, that the education and preparation of the people of PNG was vital to the success of impending independence. In the early 1960s, the Australian Government realised that independence in PNG would come sooner than previously anticipated, and ASOPA moved into an intensive period of training young Australians to accelerate the pace of development in its territories.

Independence for PNG came in 1975, and by that time groups such as patrol officers, teachers and other administrators had done their job well in preparing the way for a new, independent PNG to make its own way in the world. Greg Ison