VERNACULAR TEACHING IS EDUCATIONAL RUBBISH

How many elementary vernacular schools close because of no teacher with vernacular skills?

For many years, Papua New Guinea has suffered from an expatriate bright idea that children in elementary school should be taught in vernacular language.  It was more than just reading but teaching the vernacular to village children.

It started as a heavenly brain wave of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) that claimed that their holy duty was to translate the Bible into all languages of PNG to make way for the Second Coming. But only in PNG.

Surely any quote from Scripture applies to the whole world not just PNG. It sounds as if the SIL has used Scripture to infiltrate this country in a long term commitment.

For over 20 years now, the education literacy policy of his country has been dominated by a secretive and fundamentalist group living with military-like security in the Eastern Highlands with high frequency radio back to the US.

They have promoted vernacular as the saviour of Literacy Learning.

They translate the Bible with no checks on accuracy but undoubtedly a focus on the beast, 666 and the Second Coming. They do not publicize to outsiders that the world is depending on them for the Second Coming.

I trekked Kokoda in 1977 and met an SIL translator in Efogi with family. He told us military trekkers that he was a US navy intelligence officer before joining SIL.

There was a time when SIL was considered to be agents of the CIA. But that may well have been due to their secrecy. They were undoubtedly anti-communist and anti-catholic with a high frequency radio.

SIL believes that Scripture tells us that the Second Coming will not come until total translation is achieved of all vernacular languages but only in PNG.

What a great way to ensure funding and tenure. The future of the world depends on a lill' ol'  Bible-belt organization from the old US of A.

This was supported by one Professor Tom Dutton of the Australian National University who started his association with PNG in colonial times as a primary school teacher.

We have often heard the devotees of vernacular teaching telling us that this bridges the literary gap with English. They may have quoted a few students who did well. No mention is made of the dismal failures.

There was a report in Post Courier today written by Tim Lithgow Director of Summer Institute of Linguistics who makes glowing praise of vernacular teaching with no mention of the Second Coming.

Vernacular in the lower grades makes foolish assumptions. First is the assumption that the students speak the language of their village.

At the age of 6 years, their knowledge may be very basic. Many village languages are very complex and would take several years to teach children. These are years better devoted to teaching English.

There has to be a teacher from that village who speaks the language. If that person does not regularly go to school or is the village drunk, the village is stuck with that person.

What if this teacher has only very basic understanding of the village language? He may have spent his childhood in the urban schools.

There are no books in the library to teach the vernacular. It is all in English and donated by Rotary. Students have no idea of the English of library books.

The Bible is the only book with that vernacular language in the school. Not all villages have a translated Bible in their ples tok. The Second Coming is a long way off yet.

Vernacular elementary schools are very unfair to the only teacher and the students. That person has to close the school at least once a month to go to town to collect pay. That applies to all village schools.

That teacher is stuck in that school forever. The appointment is to a particular school of the language of the teacher.

One teacher on the Kokoda Track was without pay for almost a year. He had taken up a position at Menari school held by another teacher who moved to Sogeri.

She illegally collected her pay at another school still as a teacher at Menari school that was closed until the new teacher arrived.

But the teacher had not told the Department that she was somewhere else. The new teacher at Menari starved with his family. He was on first appointment but pay did not follow him. Records said that another teacher was at Menari school.

The new teacher came to town and tramped the corridors of the Department of Education with the founder of AIDS Holistics whom he met on a Kokoda trek.

He got his pay after three visits or three weeks holiday for his pupils. The Department did not know him and many officers were not interested.

He needed a letter to prove who he was. One of the officers had to give him the letter. But they would not give him a letter until he could prove who he was. We used to call that Catch-22.

Teaching vernacular language or Tok Pisin is a great idea. But only for two lessons a week.

It would be interesting to survey all past pupils of vernacular schools to establish their success in schooling after years of the vernacular bridging of gaps.

We must not assume that the vernacular teacher has the ability to produce material in vernacular language.

Most such teachers went only as far as grade 10. As the only educated person available in the village, they were it.

But in the afternoons they dug their gardens. The female teacher stayed until she became pregnant. No other teacher was available in the village.

No teacher could come from outside. Vernacular language was a barrier to schooling. Close the school.

It was not the fault of SIL. They just translate the Bible. Then the rest of the task had been dropped on the Department of Education like a massive rock.

Vernacular education must have been a 20 year headache for the Department of Education. How do they plan one teacher at a time for a village school?

They had to plan from the present to the Second Coming. The SIL has much to account for. And don't blame God.