Adult Education

One of the more interesting and promising developments in education in Tonga is the adult education programme being developed by the Roman Catholic Church. The Church is rapidly phasing out its role in primary education and concentrating its resources instead on what might be called education for development. An Adult Education Centre is currently being constructed just outside Nuku'alofa on Tongatapu Island, which will provide an administrative centre for these activities and also accommodation and teaching space for residential courses.

The scheme as it is developing essentially involves community education for development, as opposed to the traditional education of children only. A team of trained staff
go out to a village for a period of about two weeks, visit the homes of all the families and attempt through discussion to arrive at some conception of the needs of the village. Following this, a series of about 11 evening lectures/discussions are held over a period of about two months. These discussions start off from the concept of man (who am I?) and progress towards the appreciation of man as a social being who has to unite together with his fellow beings. The roles of man and woman are examined, as are those of parents and children, and the difficulties arising from conflict between the older and younger
generations. The discussion moves on from the concept of community to the obstacles to community and the nature of change. Changes are seen to be invitable, and the need to examine what is happening and critically to assess the effect on customs and traditions is pointed out. Finally, the course proceeds to the concept of development and the obstacles to development, and an attempt is then made to translate the results into some form of effective community action in which the Church assists where it can. Thus, in one village, a project was established to grow bananas for export, and the Church was able to assist in obtaining sprays, fertilisers, etc., as well as mediating with the Govern-
ment. In most villages, handicraft groups have been established, and through the work of the Church a trade outlet has been opened in Christchurch. The Church by this means page 32 also identifies more clearly the real obstacles to development, which do not lie with the local people or the local conditions, but with the restrictive trade arrangements with New Zealand (e.g. duties and a quota in the case of handicrafts) or inadequate shipping services (as in the case of a perishable export like bananas).

Underlying the Church's shift to community education is the belief that if any real development is to occur, changes of attitude are needed in the community as a whole, and not just among school children who will return to their homes with frustration and fruitless dissatisfaction. Projects of this nature are seen as ‘little projects which do not need requests for foreign aid’ and thus preserve the dignity and self-respect of the people which is a prerequisite for development. Emerging from them will presumably be the call for ‘trade rather than aid’.

The concept of community education for development avoids all the contradictions which presently emerge from a school system based on Western subjects, concepts and disciplines which is completely unrelated to the needs of the society which it supposedly serves. Children who are individually encouraged to be critical and creative within the school face frustration and boredom when they return to face life without opportunities in their villages. It is therefore imperative to encourage a critical and creative community rather than critical and creative individuals, for in the latter case criticism and creativity can easily turn into their opposities and themselves become obstacles to development in the community as a whole.