[EDLING:1344] Papua New Guinea: Pioneers in a language school

[Francis M. Hult]

Pioneers in a language school
West Sepik tackles its language barrier in an innovative way. SINCLAIRE 
SOLOMON reports

http://www.thenational.com.pg/031706/w5.htm

JANET Yauton returns to Papua New Guinea in two years time hopefully a fluent 
Bahasa Indonesia speaker and teacher who will be able to teach the language at 
her school.

Right now Ms Yauton and seven of her male colleagues have enrolled at 
Singaraja Institute of Teachers Training and Education in Bali for the two-
year degree course in Bahasa Indonesia.
All are teachers at various high schools and vocational schools in West Sepik 
(Sandaun) province, with the exception of Bonny Kaiyo who is from West Sepik 
but based at Madang Teachers' College.

Ms Yauton is a teacher at Aitape Vocational Centre and the only woman in the 
group. They are pioneers in a project put together by the Sandaun division of 
education and Dr Johannes Esomar, culture and education attaché at the 
Indonesian Embassy in Port Moresby.

The idea is to train more local teachers to teach the Indonesia language at 
high schools to prepare the students for further studies in Indonesia should 
the opportunity arise.

In 2004, 16 Sandaun students took short courses at vocational and technical 
schools in Jayapura, Papua Province, however, the problem faced was getting a 
clear grasp of the language to understand technical terms. Secondly, they 
faced difficulties applying what they had learned because of lack of finance.
Both the Sandaun division of education and Dr Esomar felt that rather than 
continue with this futile exercise, it was better to train teachers, thus the 
first batch of pioneer teachers who left Vanimo for Singaraja two weeks ago.
With Ms Yauton and Mr Kaiyo were Libert Wani (Yimbrassi Vocational Centre, 
Nuku district); Lawrence Kowopiai (Amanab Vocational Centre); Mark Gammis 
(Green River High School); Canute Senda (St Ignatius Secondary School, 
Aitape); and Simon Emil (Lumi High School).

The Indonesian Government is funding the bulk of the scholarship which is 
exclusively for Sandaun teachers, in the interim at least.
It is hoped that as graduate Bahasa Indonesia teachers they would also teach 
other teachers, conduct outside classes, and may be find teaching positions in 
the much talked about but yet-to- be-started joint border trade schools at 
Skouw, the Indonesian border town near Wutung.
Many west coast villagers in Sandaun are fluent in the Indonesian language 
through cross-border traditional links and movement, but it is a different 
story at schools and among teachers.

Notes Sandaun education advisor Australian Frank Evans in Jayapura two weeks 
ago when farewelling his teachers: "I feel embarrassed to be able to stand 
here in Indonesia and not speak the language".
Says PNG Consul in Jayapura, Jeffrey Tauloube: "English is an important 
language but it is equally important that we learn at least one regional 
language. In the case of Indonesia, we must do our part in furthering our 
relations and meet them half way, learn their language".

Mr Tauloube admits that after two years at his post, his command of the 
language is not as good as he would like it however to the students, he 
said: "You going to study the language is one more milestone in the 
relationships between our two countries. Show how grateful you are to the 
Indonesian Government by doing a good job, not for yourself but also for Papua 
New Guinea".

Such was the importance of this pioneer programme that Deputy Secretary for 
Education, Damien Rapese accompanied the teachers to Jayapura where they 
formalised arrangements for their studies. Work commitments prevented Mr 
Rapese from travelling on to Bali with the students and the PNG consul for the 
students' induction.

However, he told the teachers in Jayapura that their two-year study will 
fulfill one of the aims of the 2004 National Education Plan - achieving a 
better future through human resources development.
This latest programme is part of Indonesian Government scholarships which have 
been offered to Papua New Guineans since 2003. They include Undergraduate 
degree programme (four years); social work/welfare (four years); vocational 
and technical education (four-five years); Non-Aligned Movement master degree 
scholarship (three years); Dharmassiswa RI programme (one year); and Southwest 
Pacific Dialogue scholarship (three months).

According to Dr Esomar, more than 50 Papua New Guineans are recipients of 
these various programmes offered by his government.
In the meantime, focus as far as Sandaun is concerned is on its pioneer 
teachers in Bali. Says Deputy Secretary Rapese to them on the eve of their 
departure: "My challenge to you is to come back with flying colours".