Thank a Teacher

Jeff writes:

I am working with Matthias, who is one of my students, to help him to prepare a proposal to upgrade their local primary school. Let me tell you about this school.

It currently has 600 children in it. They are distributed into grades one through six. There are six classrooms, one for each grade. There are six teachers, one for each grade.

Even though these teachers are required to teach English starting in grade three, they face an impossible task. Most of the teachers themselves do not speak English well. Why? They are the products of the PNG education system.

For that reason, even most of the twelfth grade students we admit to the CLTC cannot write a coherent paper in English. Most have never even read an entire book in any language.

As missionary instructors it is our job to bridge this gap. Our first-year students face a formidable struggle as they move from the PNG school system to our college. During the accreditation visit one of the visiting professors lamented the same fact. The PNG education system even with all of its "reforms" is a failure.

So, as the bumper sticker says, "If you can read this, then thank a teacher."

I have included a few photos below to illustrate the PNG predicament.


This first photo shows a building which houses two of the six classrooms, a "library", and the administrative offices. This school is surprisingly well-kept, and it is fortunate to have teachers.

When I visited the Southern Highlands, I saw an abandoned school in disrepair. Because the school was so remote, teachers refused to work there. Most do not want to serve in these areas because they would rather work in the towns where there are more things to do and places to spend their paychecks.



In the foreground are the foundations for two water tanks. The tanks themselves are in the background. They were the main source of potable water on campus.



This is the current water source. It consists of a low-pressure leaky pipe connected to who knows where. Remember there are 600 students at this school.



For you teachers out there (Leanna, Rob, Nancy, and Debbie C.) can you imagine a room full of first graders and only two bathrooms or liklik haus (outhouses) as they are called here for them to share with the rest of the student body?



PNG educators have got at least one thing right!



This may be the saddest photo of them all. This is the school's "library." It represents the sum of all the books shared between the 600 pupils.

Pray for Matthias and his efforts to upgrade this school, and remember to thank the Lord that the Gospel transforms culture at all levels.