Language and Education in Papua New Guinea - Essay Example

Running head: Education and Language Role of Education and Language in Development: Papua New Guinea [Writer’s Name] [Institution’s Name] Role of Education and Language in Development: Papua New Guinea Nation building is the process of structuring a national identity using the power of the state. The main goal of such a process is unification of the people within a state in order to sustain political stability. This paper will highlight the significance of nation building projects such as education and language for the politics of development. The paper will specifically use the example of Papua New Guinea (PNG) as the backbone of the argument, applying its case to all aspects of the discussion. The policies of the Millennium Development Goals, which have been adopted by Papua New Guinea, will also be touched upon in efforts to explain the necessity of the inclusion of achievement of universal primary education when implementing policies and programmes for development. The nature of development demands it to be resource specific. Therefore, the purpose of this paper will be to serve as a reference for developing countries in bringing about a growth model which is replicable and productive. The reason why PNG has been specifically chosen for this purpose is because the country represents an extremely varied demographic, with over 800 indigenous languages and as many sub-cultures at least. Furthermore, the country has an extremely rural-based population with over 70% living in rural areas. It takes an added measure of interest for traditional societies because PNG has, in its statutes, the right to have its traditional clans intact. This allows observers to measure and compare how other such societies will fare when provided the opportunity to function traditionally. Firstly, the necessity of education and language in generic terms must be focused upon. There cannot be any development without education. Modern methodologies, philosophies and up-to-date skills can be best learned through education and people can be taught skills to apply to different jobs in the economy. Not only will this work towards increasing national welfare, but will also help stimulate the economy. The results of development through education are ever lasting and durable, as they instill changes in the human psyche in an almost revolutionary way. Giving to people new knowledge without taking the whole populace and future generations into consideration will be easily forgotten, especially if the people feel that they need not know it for their cultural benefit and beliefs. It has been a fault of successive generations of developed nations to think themselves as bearers of light for those less fortunate and forcing upon them their own views. This was no less evident when the Spanish landed on South America in the 18th century than now, when the concept of democracy is being painted as the saving grace of all humanity. What may be good for one nation does not necessarily have to be good for others. This concept, although widely acknowledged now, is still not widely reinforced. Societies are inherently designed to promote concerted action. This not only enables an efficient use of resource, it also allows a more harmonious atmosphere. Consequently this form of behavior translates into individual interaction. However, just as one individual cannot judge what is best for another, societies as well cannot blame what is right and what is wrong. It is therefore necessary to base the knowledge on the reality at hand. Keeping that in mind, it is no less important to have a view towards all the development that has occurred elsewhere. Development is not an independent phenomenon. It is built upon successive nations working towards goals which keep transcending the limits originally conceived. It is for this reason that societies find knowledge sharing as the most beneficial exercise. It not only enhances the present knowledge base, but also lays the foundation for future endeavors. Culture of a nation defines it i.e. a country is identified by its individual culture, and one of the greatest components of culture is language. Promotion of language helps build the identity of a nation in the global arena. Language also is of great importance for national identity if the “linguistic human rights” approach is to be taken – a right that can be demanded by all individuals. When a group fights to preserve its language, it does not just focus on the preservation of a communication tool, but the preservation of an entire culture and identities. Language can serve as a tool for “reinforcing group loyalties and solidarities, affirming identities and histories, reproducing culture and advancing political and institutional claims,” (Nation Building, Ethnicity and Language Politics in Transition Countries, p. 11). However, language continues to be one of the most ignored aspects of social justice as conceived in liberal democracies of today. This is not to suggest that language is an intentional casualty of our disregard for justice. It is because, “Issues of language cannot easily be adopted within the standard framework that liberals adopt for dealing with diversity,” (Nation Building, Ethnicity and Language Politics in Transition Countries, p.8). Language provides a very difficult choice for issues of social justice since it treads the line between enhanced individual identity and social chaos. Like individual religions, language is another facet of life which forges an identity built on uniqueness. But unlike religions, it is far more specific. Whereas religion is a monolithic framework which can engulf multiple nations, i.e, Sub Saharan Africans and Siberians can share the same religion, language offers no such ease. Each nation has its own specific language. This is helpful when distinguishing between nations but not so when distinguishing within countries/democracies. Democracies are inherently built on the principle of organized majorities overruling but conferring equal rights to minorities. This comes into conflict with the reality of majorities imposing their will on helpless minorities whenever they are allowed to. The result is injustice. Language is among the foremost bearers of a nation’s identity and is therefore the first to be affected when faced with such an occurrence. Therefore, in cases where diversity is amplified, like Papua New Guinea which has 12% of the world’s indigenous languages, this medium becomes the first casualty of liberalistic ignorance. The result is that democracies, in order to build a homogenous and coherent social system, disregard linguistic individualism causing a decline in that particular culture’s growth. The end result is that culture slowly tends to disappear, morphing into the larger more popular culture. An example of that can be seen in the aborigines of Australia or the Native Indians of America. Papua New Guinea (called PNG in short) is a remote island in the pacific. It is located not very far from Australia. The people there are island natives who have extremely old customs and are not in tune with the modern world. Although the commonwealth, the UN and Australia have made many attempts for the development of the country, it is still lagging in the development index and faces significant development challenges. While the people are not averse to development as they have been exposed through tourism to new ideas, they are still far behind in development index mainly due to lack of education. Some of the members of the older generation residing in PNG believe that if they start to learn the modern ways, they will lose their identity and the culture of their forefathers. Specifically, the education of girls in the region is considered a great offense as they are expected to stay at home and work – a result of PNG’s cultural norms. According to the UN, “Primary school enrolment and retention rates are still very low in PNG. In fact, primary retention rates have decreased since 1995, especially in The Highlands provinces,” (2009). Another aspect of education problems which must be taken into account is the level of poverty in PNG. Proper schooling and education requires extensive monetary investment into school supplies, which the government can currently not afford. Being an agrarian based society, PNG is also hampered by its rural demographics. Having more than 70% of its population live in villages, PNG is unable to provide the level of schooling and exposure associated with urban areas. There are many aspects to be looked into when focusing on promotion of education for nation building purposes in Papua New Guinea. In order to bring up the PNG citizens in tune with the rest of the world, they must be educated in modern ways. However, while this is done, one must be appreciative of their history and culture and their way of life that has been learned many centuries of experience. They cannot be expected to emulate developed countries and forget about their history and culture. Their remote location, tropical location and their food habits cannot and should not be ignored while trying to develop their country. It will not be possible for the natives to survive with a new system that does not conform to their needs. The fact that PNG has more than 800 sub-cultures is reason enough for it to have a diverse array of policy makers who tend to all the specific communities. Each community has its own history and cultural traditions which, having been passed down through successive generations, become the reservoir of its culture. In trying to transmit such culture in forms that are alien to it, not only would the message be lost but the culture itself would become subsidiary. PNG is unique due to its ability to have sustained disparate cultures within it for centuries. It has done so by allowing all its nations to continue growing without artificially imposing as constraints. It has been able to mould all its societies so that they coalesce together and yet remain individual entities.   The PNG natives cannot be treated like other people who have made progress in their own ways. All development efforts that are made in PNG have to be specific, well thought out and after full involvement and agreement of the local people. Otherwise, the population will only tag the line while not actually believing in the change. All the efforts thus will go to waste and in the end there will be a feeling that these people are not ready to learn and progress to enter the 21st century. Any development cannot be forced on any population. Since the best way is to educate the people first and then ask them to think about progress, it is best that in order to get the most productive and effective results of education enhancement should be agreeable to the local population. They must be fully involved in the process and their acceptance of the final development plan should be clear. Since they would be involved in the development of the plans, they can be expected to fully appreciate it and follow it in spirit. Among the most important aspects of education is the need to structure it around the environment it is supposed to be imparted in. It is as simple a concept as understanding why children taught about the feeding habits of ostriches will not remember it in Siberia, as they will in Africa. Therefore, education for PNG citizens involves a cultural grounding qualified by specific foci. These foci are the bearings of each culture. Since PNG holds such a vast array, it is necessary to understand why the education system within it has to be an extremely varied and diversified one as well. Language is a major part of a country’s culture and cannot be eliminated so easily. Since the intention of the education policy would be to allow the local population to improve and learn new ways while maintaining their original ways as well, it is essential that the education be imparted in the language that the people agree to be educated in. Any alien or foreign language cannot and must not be imposed on them. The people would then start to feel that the education they are being given is alien and they need not necessarily follow it. Unless the education considers their local language, culture, history and life style, it will not be accepted by them. As soon as the people are out of their classes, they would go back to the own way with the feeling that the education is only what you learn in the school but need not necessarily follow it. They will feel that some outsiders are imposing education on them because they want to either enslave the population or the foreigners want to make their own life easier in PNG. Making local people learn the language of the foreigners makes it easy for them to live and stay in PNG. It should be noted here that PNG has sustained itself for centuries and continues to do so. This would suggest that their cultures and ethnic heritage is strong enough to with stand not just time, but also the pull and tug of others around them. It is a testament to the strength of its languages and cultures that PNG has remained a vibrant hub. Therefore, it would be foolish to assume that this could be undermined by a foreign education system. However, the need to protect the disparate identities of all the sub cultures is because culture needs nurturing. If the education system in PNG is completely changed to promote a completely new system based upon new languages, the delicate balance created within PNG will falter. It is with this reason that PNG remains one of the most inspirational stories of human ingenuity and cultural endurance at the same time. References UNDP 2009, Poverty Reduction UNDP Papua New Guinea, viewed 6 November 2009, < http://www.undp.org.pg/mdg.html> Farimah Daftari and Francois Grin, European Centre for Minority Issues, Nation building, Ethnicity and Language politics in Transition Counries, , P 8,11. Read More

Consequently this form of behavior translates into individual interaction. However, just as one individual cannot judge what is best for another, societies as well cannot blame what is right and what is wrong. It is therefore necessary to base the knowledge on the reality at hand. Keeping that in mind, it is no less important to have a view towards all the development that has occurred elsewhere. Development is not an independent phenomenon. It is built upon successive nations working towards goals which keep transcending the limits originally conceived.

It is for this reason that societies find knowledge sharing as the most beneficial exercise. It not only enhances the present knowledge base, but also lays the foundation for future endeavors. Culture of a nation defines it i.e. a country is identified by its individual culture, and one of the greatest components of culture is language. Promotion of language helps build the identity of a nation in the global arena. Language also is of great importance for national identity if the “linguistic human rights” approach is to be taken – a right that can be demanded by all individuals.

When a group fights to preserve its language, it does not just focus on the preservation of a communication tool, but the preservation of an entire culture and identities. Language can serve as a tool for “reinforcing group loyalties and solidarities, affirming identities and histories, reproducing culture and advancing political and institutional claims,” (Nation Building, Ethnicity and Language Politics in Transition Countries, p. 11). However, language continues to be one of the most ignored aspects of social justice as conceived in liberal democracies of today.

This is not to suggest that language is an intentional casualty of our disregard for justice. It is because, “Issues of language cannot easily be adopted within the standard framework that liberals adopt for dealing with diversity,” (Nation Building, Ethnicity and Language Politics in Transition Countries, p.8). Language provides a very difficult choice for issues of social justice since it treads the line between enhanced individual identity and social chaos. Like individual religions, language is another facet of life which forges an identity built on uniqueness.

But unlike religions, it is far more specific. Whereas religion is a monolithic framework which can engulf multiple nations, i.e, Sub Saharan Africans and Siberians can share the same religion, language offers no such ease. Each nation has its own specific language. This is helpful when distinguishing between nations but not so when distinguishing within countries/democracies. Democracies are inherently built on the principle of organized majorities overruling but conferring equal rights to minorities.

This comes into conflict with the reality of majorities imposing their will on helpless minorities whenever they are allowed to. The result is injustice. Language is among the foremost bearers of a nation’s identity and is therefore the first to be affected when faced with such an occurrence. Therefore, in cases where diversity is amplified, like Papua New Guinea which has 12% of the world’s indigenous languages, this medium becomes the first casualty of liberalistic ignorance. The result is that democracies, in order to build a homogenous and coherent social system, disregard linguistic individualism causing a decline in that particular culture’s growth.

The end result is that culture slowly tends to disappear, morphing into the larger more popular culture. An example of that can be seen in the aborigines of Australia or the Native Indians of America. Papua New Guinea (called PNG in short) is a remote island in the pacific. It is located not very far from Australia. The people there are island natives who have extremely old customs and are not in tune with the modern world. Although the commonwealth, the UN and Australia have made many attempts for the development of the country, it is still lagging in the development index and faces significant development challenges.

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