Kali wants Aussies to teach English in PNG

PERSONNEL Management Secretary John Kali says he will invite Australians to come and teach English in Papua New Guinea when he takes up his new position as high commissioner in Canberra.
He said this yesterday during a reunion with his Australian Grade Six teacher in 1967 Richard Clarke, who taught him at Hood Lagoon Primary School in Central.
“I’ve seen the (English) level drop and I think you’ll agree with me that the level of communication has completely dropped,” Kali told The National.
“My next assignment (as high commissioner) is to try and get young Australian university graduates, or those who wish to pursue a teaching career, to come up here and teach at primary schools.
“I’m sure they would want to go out to the districts, into the rural setting and experience the true life that PNG offers.
“At the same time, they give something back – teaching English.”
He said a command of the English language was very important.
Kali said the current level of English among public servants was very low compared to pre-Independence days when Australian teachers were in the country.
“I can’t believe some of the stuff that I’ve been reading as a department head,” he said.
“The structure, the tense, the spelling leaves a lot to be desired.
“Half of the time I spend correcting communication, because I want to reflect the department as a professional organisation, and letters going out must be understood.”