GOROKA CONFERENCE

22nd May 2010

We were in two minds whether to accept a lift with the Inspectors from the Division of Education, knowing their record of poor time keeping, but we had a large box we wanted to send home, so were grateful of the offer.We were well on our way when a phone call announced that one of the inspectors had been left behind!We feared it would mean returning to Kundiawa, but the decision was made to press on - thank goodness.

We were looking forward to the pleasure of hot showers at the hotel in Goroka, but were dismayed to discover that the hotel had no water on the first night!!We couldn't believe it.Not only that, but we had left our deodorant behind.This was not such a big deal, as though it's not available in Kundiawa there is a chemist in Goroka where we knew it could be purchased, which we duly did, only to find when we got it back to our room that the sell by date was 2007!It did the trick though I'm glad to say!

We were given a conference programme, but inevitably not only did some people not turn up to do their presentation, but some didn't put in an appearance at all, so it was a constant job of reorganisation.Consequently, we never knew what was happening when - nothing new there then!Our presentation went very well and we were threatened with kidnap, to be taken to work in another province and several other provinces asked how they could get VSO volunteers to work with them, once they heard what we had been doing.Mind you, the general quality of presentations was pretty poor and the few who used a Power Point, took half an hour to set it up and figure out how to work it!However, we had the opportunity to have some interesting talks with a couple of senior education ministers about school improvement, which was useful and, if we had some Leadership and Management volunteers following us, these contacts could lead to some very interesting work.

We took the opportunity before leaving, to zip into a supermarket with the intention of buying some mince to make a lasagne when we got home, as we have some lasagne sheets and parmesan cheese bought while in NZ to use up before we leave.No sign of any mince on the meat counter and our enquiries elicited the dreaded response, 'machine baggerup'!Never mind, we did manage to lay our hands on some decent cheese and even found some chocolate, so all was not lost.

Before we left to go to the conference, we were invited to yet another launch.Money was being donated by an MP to an English teachers' group who had produced some curriculum resources.This MP, who is also a government minister, was travelling up from Port Moresby on the Friday to present the cheque, so press and TV cameras were duly organised.We were invited.Starting time - 10am.

We turned up on time and sat for an hour and a half, only then to be told the MP wasn't coming!Two reasons were given, some other 'important meeting', or a 'difficulty with his plane ticket'.We declined the offer of food (I believe a pig was slaughtered), knowing it wouldn't be wasted and returned home.We had arranged for volunteers to come for lunch on the Saturday, so when a teacher arrived at our door early Saturday morning with a revised invitation to the launch that morning, we declined the invitation.Phil said he'd cover it and then come to us for lunch.

He arrived at the said destination at the allotted time.The place was locked and it was raining!Odd people came and went, messages were received that the MP was on his way, yet still nothing happened.After waiting for two hours, Phil left and we later heard that the MP did turn up - at 3pm!!!How anyone can organise their lives around such chaos I know not.We're trying to organise a conference ourselves which involves several officers from the Division of Education doing presentations.They were alerted of the date a couple of weeks ago and agreed to present.When reminded this week, one says he won't be around (was he going to let us know I wonder?), another says he's now not available and the senior inspector tells us he may or may not be available, depending if there's funding for him to visit another province to do some work or not.So the whole programme has gone out of the window and we can't move on it until he lets us know (he says this Friday, but we're not holding our breath) which gives little time to inform all the deputies and senior teachers in the Province if necessary.We've told him, if he can't come then we're cancelling the conference, enough is enough!

I told you last time that a teacher had been suspended and charged for having sexual relations with a student.Not only has he been charged, but the parents have pressed charges and he's now in prison.Normally in these cases, the accused pays compensation and all is forgotten, but in this case, it looks as though it will go to court.Sadly, just this week, we heard that another head is also being suspended for a similar offence.In this culture, men have the power and students do as they are told without question.These two heads run very remote boarding schools, so even if the girls involved wanted to complain, there's nowhere for them to go and they would probably be too scared to do anything anyway, because of likely repercussions.At the school where the first head is in prison, there aren't even any female teachers at all.Women don't want to work in these remote places and who can blame them.

Things go from bad to worse.This week a secondary school has been suspended because raskals broke in with a gun - not sure if shots were fired or not.Another has been closed because of a cholera outbreak and a third has been closed because, for some inexplicable reason, the community has attacked the teachers in the school (I wonder if they found any?)

The final straw this morning - teachers in our school are not supervising work parade (students cut grass and dig ditches) and sports activities.Why?They are worn out after 'teaching' (yeah right!) until 14.30pm, so they can't possibly supervise these activities! PLEASE! Their contracted hours are from 7.45 - 16.06.In addition, they think the students are getting out of hand because they are growing little 'rasta bits' of hair behind their ears.Apparently this isn't proper for students, so the blooming scissors are making an appearance again.Amidst all this, students are supposed to be doing some learning - fat chance!

On a more positive note.We have just had two visitors, a teacher from a remote school and his wife.John helped this particular teacher with an agricultural project he was working on, so to thank us, the two of them had set off at the crack of dawn, walked for 4 hours (in bare feet) to bring us the most beautiful bilum made by the wife (Cecilia) which she had finished at first light this morning!Their kindness is overwhelming sometimes.They have just left to walk the many hours home and thanked us for our time!

The count down is now up and running.We're selling all our books and CDs to the teachers today and donating the money to a Lutheran Womens' Convention being run at the school.We're also giving the same cause most of our clothes (those that have survived reasonably), so that we can travel as light as possible when we leave.Our travels will take us to Brisbane, Sydney, Bankok (protests allowing), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City), north to Chaing Mai then down to South Thailand to holiday with Lisa and Simon (lots of diving no doubt).Then, when they return home, it's off to Cambodia and Laos before returning to good old UK.Will be taking the computer with us, so for those who are interested, I will keep you updated with the travels if I can.

Rumour has it that the heads in the Province are organising a farewell lunch for us and the school is also hosting a mu mu - much slaughter and interminable speeches I fear!

10 more days and lots to do!

Best wishes from us both

PS The latest creature report - Phil not only found a fat, hairy spider the size of a crab in his shower last week, but he was also visited by a live rat - in his toilet!Yuk! He got hold of the security guards who managed to fish it out with sticks, then they duly despatched it unceremoniously.Going to the loo in the dark in the night has taken on a new meaning ie Scary!!!