The name is absent

199

At Warralong the emphasis for older school-age boys is towards
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pastoral activities, as doubtless it will be at Lala Rookh_t

At Strelley there was an emphasis on an office girl’s programme
developed to meet the needs of the administrative centre, and a
carpentry workshop for boys. The new schools at Lala Rookh and
Camp 61 together with the other two schools, have programmes which,
in each case have as a focus the teaching of literacy and numeracy
skills. In each location there is an emphasis on the vernacular
directed towards -

an adult literacy programme, which is also largely
a teacher education program

the introduction of reading in the vernacular at
the commencement of the school programme

preparation of materials in the vernacular - composing,
illustrating and printing such material.

The school age children are divided in a way that reinforces
the traditional Classificatory system of the Western Desert. The
teachers are also assigned positions within this system. Pre-
schools are taken for the most part by marrngu teachers, bridging
groups by white and marrngu, and older age children by white
teachers, assisted by marrngu. Adult classes in the vernacular may
be taken by either.

Classes are conducted in the open to meet the climatic constraints,
under bough shelters constructed by the people themselves¹.

Observation of classroom activities are coincidental to the comings
and goings of the adult population, as well as parental involvement
in some form of teaching function.

Adults within the classroom situation perform.a role that -for
some is a reflection of the western-style teaching, taking over the
role and function of the white teacher who is released for other
work. For others the teaching role is a socializing role.

¹A ’proper’ school was under construction at Warralong in 1982

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