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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 29, No. 12. 1966.

Stone Age University

page 5

Stone Age University

From Stone Age man to university in 20 years excites the imagination but strains the credulity of sophisticated society — yet this is what is to be attempted in New Guinea.

In 1963, the Commonwealth Government of Australia appointed a commission under the chairmanship of Sir George Currie, formerly vice-chancellor of the University of New Zealand, "to report on the means for further developing tertiary education to meet the present and prospective needs of the Territory and to serve the best interest of its people and to enable them to take an active part in social, economic and political advancement of their country."

The report of the commission recommending the development of university education in the Territory was adopted by the Australian Government in 1964 and the university was established and incorporated under the University of Papua and New Guinea Ordinance 1965.

The university, to be on a campus of 1200 acres in the June Valley some six miles from Port Moresby, is the most imaginative recommendation in the report which also advocates an Institute of Higher Technical Education and a Teachers' College.

Lack of fluency in English language on the part of the indigenous inhabitants is one of the basic problems to be resolved and to help remedy this and to offset deficiencies arising from his restricted environment and the late development of secondary education, each indigenous student will be required to undertake a preliminary year before matriculating to the university.

At present about 60 students are undertaking this course, of Mathematics, Social Studies and English, with emphasis upon the latter.

First post matriculation courses will commence next year for Bachelors of Arts and Education. Under consideration are chairs of Law, Government and Medicine, and it is planned to introduce science and agriculture degrees as soon as possible.

By 1970 it is hoped to have a university of 700 students offering under-graduate and post-graduate courses.

Expansion programmes as rapid as this is by no means unusual in the university world. The unique feature of the development of this university is that it is being set up in a country which has had so little contact with Western civilisation and so little experience of tertiary education. The university will play an impressive role in the future of Papua and New Guinea as the country progresses towards independence.

How did you get on at work today?

How did you get on at work today?