AusAID in PNG gets loud wake-up call

The evidence mounted over the last week or so.

A colleague back from Oro Province saying teachers in rural schools have rejected a methodology called ‘outcomes based education’ because it does not work in the PNG village situation. (OBE has divided the educational community in Western Australia and other jurisdictions also. It may well be asked, what’s this ideology doing in PNG?)

Eric Johns - featured in PNG Attitude over recent days - unable to get history books into PNG schools because the educational authorities, guided by Australian experts, were otherwise engaged on curriculum development. For five years.

And, most damningly, Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Michael Somare agreeing in Canberra last week that too much AusAID money is being spent on consultants – and not enough getting to where it needs to go: down to the grass roots.

Against this backdrop, and especially the sphincter-tightening rocket from the national leaders, it was not surprising to read in the PNG press yesterday that AusAID spun around a few times and emerged travelling in a different direction.

‘AusAID changes strategy’ said the headline in the PNG National. The story began: “The Australian Agency for International Development in PNG is embarking on a different approach to its aid program by directly involving the provinces and districts.”

Decentralisation in a largely rural agricultural nation – now that's a revolutionary idea.

It seems the head of AusAID in PNG, Bill Costello, and AusAID assistant director general, Margaret Calla - perhaps rushed to Port Moresby amid the reverberations of Prime Ministerial gunfire - have told the Central Province administration that AusAID is now keen to work directly with provinces and districts. The word 'now' is instructive.

As the National reported, the reason for the new direction was the blast from Kevin Rudd  that AusAID funds had been “misspent" and "not enough was being delivered to essential assistance in teaching, infrastructure and health services on the ground in villages across the country”.

“AusAID strongly recognises the provincial and local level governments,” Mrs Calla said, "and we are looking at how best AusAID can assist as we have a strong interest in supporting them."

It has taken a long time for the aid agency to comprehend that resources are needed in the villages, where kids are taught and food is grown and health care delivered,  and that - even more difficult - that service sustainability has to built at that level.

But, let’s be fair, we should be grateful that AusAID is looking into it.

In doing so, the organisation should note a truth from half a century ago that still prevails today - PNG cannot be run from a desk in Port Moresby.

Comments

[Ms Sapotim]

OBE is best for kids nowadays in schools. However, this new system is more applicable in schools in urban areas of PNG than is rural areas.

This is due to the fact that rural school facilites are run down and teachers graduating with fair knowledge of OBE won't give a damn going into bush schools to teach.

All our government needs to do is to concentrate more on education.

If the government can't do this, I think it's good step that the Australians have taken to bring services right into the rural areas.
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[M.Kila]

It is a false conclusion that OBE does not fit PNG village schools. We have argued that out on the blog "Corney steps up pressure".

OBE is a very basic program that teaches the basics + living skills + thinking skills. We have to help village children out of the black hole of having so little to learn because of a lack of text books.

[Josephine Keruni]

What? AusAID is interested in managing Australian Aid in PNG. It is not interested in building capacity in PNG.

AusAID was here pre-independence, post-independence, with NACs and now with the pharmaceutical upgrade project. Right now maternal mortality doubled, stock out in unbelievable, condom expiry, HIV/AIDS high.

Honestly, what is AusAID for? Themslves, is my answer.

Now they are proposing total outsourcing of condom procurement and distribution - over what? the global fund?

Aussies - PNG is getting smart.

[Russell Mandi Odobo]

The step AusAID has taken is good. I personally agree with the idea of working directly with the people in the district level but don't let it stop at the provincial level.

We, the Musa people in Oro Province, suffered for so long. The highest education a student can achieve is Grade 6. Our land is rich in minerals but we lack the knowledge to manage our resources for the betterment of the Musa people.

It's better to carry out a survey and collect information in district levels than to get information from the desk at Port Moresby.

[Eric Johns]

Fantastic pieces on your Attitude website! Nice pic of Hank.

Let's hope AusAID has a turn around. Letters to the editor in PNG papers are also very critical of the new curriculum that so many millions were spent on.

[Phil Fitzpatrick]

It's interesting to note that Messrs Costello and Calla, in their innovative rush to consult with the provinces, have only,so far, gone a couple of kms down the road. When they recover from that trauma and get out of the Central Province to, say, Mendi or Balimo I bet it won't be long before the consultants are back.

[Paul Oates]

The expression "looking into it' rings a bell from the 'bad old days' of Corporate Services.

"What are you doing about the air conditioning!" was often countered by the expression, "We're looking into it!" as a close inspection was being made of the nearest A/C outlet.

The real problem with AusAID is: How do you tell a person about a problem when they are part of it? The same people will tend to produce the same results like moving the deck chairs around the Titanic. What is called for are agreed achievement and failure becnkmarks and responsibility and accountability.

A Non Government, volunteer, joint planning and review team from both Australia and PNG is what's is needed to oversee the Australian Aid Program. This team would be charged with preparing a publically available audit report to both the Australian and PNG governements at the end of every year and prior to any new Aid budget being approved.

Then we might begin to see some positive results in the villages and not just a new building in Port Moresby.