writing twenty years ago

A philosophy of Education for PNG stated, "little effort has been made to help students achieve integral human development...If the leaders being produced by these institutions are not equipped with skills to help others achieve the goals of socialisation, participation, liberation, and equality, then such goals will remain paper goals or mauswara." We should reread the founding fathers of whatever institution we belong to. The Yanks treasure the wisdom of their Founding Fathers, the British treasure Magna Carta, the Christians treasure the New Testament. I said about Sir Paulius' not being too proud to remember his roots and take off his western man's suit and put on his tribal dress. In reflecting on Balladoran yesterday, I couldn't be any other than I am. My Dad often told the story about the wise old men of Balladoran listening to one of their graduate children talking of hybrid wheats which would enable wheat to be grown at Nyngan - 200 k west of the then wheat line. "Listen to the rubbish they fill these University students' heads with. Give 'em an education and they come home and talk nonsense." Today wheat is grown at Bourke - another 200 k further west of Nyngan. When I went to University my concern was that I was going to come home with my head filled with nonsense and that I would disappoint my Dad. The fact was that Dad saw wheat at Nyngan and he realised the "wise old men" were not so wise (in some things) after all.