This is a compliation of documents by Bernard W. Houston relating to the short teacher training courses, that he refers to as “E Courses” at Malaguna, Madang and Port Moresby between 1960 and 1972.
Immediately post World War Two, there was a great need for reconstructing villages in PNG and returning villages to their own way of life. In July 1945 education for people in Papua New Guinea was one of the “core” needs listed in the Commonwealth of Australia’s Provisional Administration Bill.

In the late 1950s, W.C. Grove, was the Director of the Territory of Papua New Guinea Education. There was a need for local students who would later become the teachers, clerks and skilled professionals in PNG in the future. Properly trained teachers were unavailable in PNG despite recruiting campaigns and the Territory did not have classroom staff to run the schools while new indigenous teachers were being trained.

The short teacher training course (similar to those used in Britain after the war) was proposed and later implemented as an “E” course or emergency crash teacher training course. The aim of the course was to recruit Australians, quickly train them to be primary teachers and then post them to primary schools throughout P.N.G.

In September 1960, applicants were recruited from Australia and moved to the Territory where the first “E” course began at Malaguna Technical Centre. This course included sixty trainees. On 1 April 1961, the first E course graduates were sent to postings in lowland and highland districts throughout P.N.G.
The E courses were concluded in December 1971.
Also titled: 6E ephemera : short teacher training courses : the E courses : at Malaguna, Madang and Port Moresby : the territory of Paua and New Guinea, 1960-1972

This compilation is in two parts. The first describes the courses, the second is a list of lecturers, trainees who graduated from the three training colleges at Malaguna, Madang and Port Moresby, and selected events.