Student culture in contemporary Papua New Guinea

Master of EducationMelanesian value systems are geared to survival and the quality of life in the narrow community of blood relatives and the village. The notion of the nation as a part of the whole community has not yet emerged. Australia's aim in introducing education to Papua New Guinea was to produce a body of educated Melanesians to handle the public service requirements of the country. Education has been efficient in teaching the academic subjects that would be offered at a western university but it has failed to meet the expectations of the government because it has not yet attempted to deal with the attitudes and values that are necessary to produce competent bureaucrats. It has also failed to meet the needs of the people because only a small number of students arrive at the desired goal of higher education and, hence, employment. The cultural stresses become most visible in the senior high school setting where schools struggle with the conflict of needs of the traditional values and modern commercial society. The middle chapters of this thesis outline the struggle of students who are attempting to relate what they learn in school to traditional cultural patterns that they have grown up with. Meanwhile outside the schools a struggle is developing between the people with power and disadvantaged school drop-outs who are responding with violence and 'rascalism'. The thesis of this investigation is that not only are new skills of little value to the social fabric of Papua New Guinea, but in fact may be a positive hazard unless they are accompanied by new attitudes and value systems which harness them to the national good. School courses need to foster attitudes of patriotism, national good, ethical understanding and behaviour, social skills, community skills and respect taught in a style that is experiential and therapeutic