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They talked about the Marrngu Teacher Education
Programme and how this is being set up in the community
and not in Perth or some other place far from the
people, their way of life and the Aboriginal Law
(Mikurrunya,25.2.82:5).
For the ɪnarmgp, it is of the greatest importance that teacher education
be Contexted into the community and into traditional structures, and
thus serve to integrate teachers and taught into the community,
b
While the theorizing on this issue is quite clear, the practical
problems of implementing the decisions taken continue to be a source
of concern.
13.18
(iv) The role of the school
The people theorize about the role of the school. The school
was eagerly sought as the way to the skills needed for economic autonomy.
Its presence has come to be seen as having other latent functions,
for example, acting as a stabilizing force that continues in the
wake of cyclones and other disruptive natural disasters, and providing
a focal point for the activities of school-age children. The inter-
action of the group to incorporate such theorizing into daily practice
is evident.
The theorizing of Strelley is reflected in the theorizing of
Ginger, the Chairman of the Kulkurriya (Noonkanbah) School Board:
*
Ginger, the chairman of the Kulkurriya School Board
spoke about making the community stronger by doing
things the marrngu way. He said the school must
never become like a government school because it
was not a school for the whitemen: the children
must Ieam to respect the marrngu way, otherwise
they would become weak (Mikurrunya, 29.10.79:3).
The theorizing of the marrngu concerning the worth of the school
is supported by the theorizing of
the white staff.
The principal at Strelley in 1980 was Paul Roberts. At the
end of five years of operation of the school, he gave a glowing