CO129-623-6 Education Department- annual report 1-5-1950 - 31-12-1950 — Page 49

55.

TONGA

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feature of the school was the very high standard of English and great tribute is due to the New Zealand headmistress who has established and set up the fine tradition for this pioneer project in girls education.

(2) Schemes of Cooperation. The education system of Fiji is dependent on the very generous Scheme of Cooperation with the New Zealand Government whereby men and women from the New Zealand teaching service can spend any number of years working in Fiji but at the same time retain their pension rights in New Zealand, As the inspiration of educational policy in Fiji comes from expatriate staff from England, i.e. the Director of Education, the Deputy Director of Education, the Principal of the Training, College and Headmaster of the Secondary School, and as the practitioners on the whole are from New Zealand it seems desirable that as many opportunities as possible should be given to the New Zealanders who are prepared to spend a number of years in Fiji of getting firsthand aquaintance ship with the practice of English education in this country.

(3) Fiji is a community development paradise. For this same closely knit society which regulates its community activities can also produce the most entertaining community development schemes, as for example when one community sold fire-wood to the Americans, made a considerable amount of profit and devoted it to community projects, even though some of these came to a sticky end. A more successful example was the Chief who happened to be an ex-service man who produced for his village a development scheme which provided in this order (a) a wooden house for

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the Chief, (b) a milking herd, (c) a school, (a) a church, (e) another now house for the Chief. The Director of Education has been quick to see the possibilities here and launched in January

1950 a project in Moturoki, a small island with 3 schools, 10 villages, good soil, near a pineapple canning factory on a neighbouring island and with a good sprinkling of ex-servicemen. It will be particularly interesting to see how this project works out as the team consists entirely of Fijian men and women.

(4) The Teacher Training College at Nasinu is a government one which is replacing all other government and denominational institutions. It trains teachers of all races and both sexes and is guided by a Principal who is prepared to try anything once and will I am sure learn as much from the ventures that fail as from those that succeed, I am not convinced however that the time is yet really ripe for co-education at this level among Indian men and women.

(5) There is provision for the education of Indians both by Government and by the Indian communities themselves. However, the Indians unlike the Fijians, are individualists and do not easily develop a system that helps in the provision of community services. There is need for particular help to be given to Indian girls.

Tonga has a population of about 45,000 of whom over 10,000 are in school as there is compulsory education for children from 6 to 14 years of age. This delightful little island paradise

which seems to have no external worries so that it can concentratu with great seriousness upon its internal ones, has a very pleasant patriarchal or should I say matriarchal, yet parliamentary

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