私の教育における挑戦

【写真】Olowa Murray鳴門教育大学 JICA長期研修員
Olowa Murray

(編集の都合上、史実を含め、本人の記載内容や表現を尊重しつつ、一部修正、意訳しています。)

 私はパプアニューギニア(PNG)のブーゲンビル自治州出身のオロワ・ムレイです。今から私の出自と教育に携わる上での挑戦についてお話しします。
 私の生まれたブーゲンビル島は今日、ブーゲンビル自治州となっており、約30万人が暮らしています。私は中心地から最も離れたバナ地区の出身で、7人兄弟の末っ子として生まれました。

私の教育における挑戦

 1988年後半、世界最大級の露天掘り鉱山であったパングナ鉱山(当時オーストラリアの会社、リオ・ティント・グループが運営)の地主は、鉱山会社による収益の不平等な分配や環境被害、それによる海洋や住民への影響など問題を抱えていました。ブーゲンビルの住民は心の奥で独立を望んでいました。1989年、私が7歳のとき、PNG政府がブーゲンビルの住民に対するすべての商品やサービスを停止したため、1990年から1992年の3年間は自給自足をせざるを得ず、避難所を頼りに暮らしました。
 拷問、嫌がらせ、殺害への不安から、1992年末までに別の場所への移動を迫られました。私は10歳、兄のイサイアとエリヤがそれぞれ17歳と13歳の時でした。戦争勃発時、私とエリヤは未就学でしたが、当時4年生だったイサイアは教育を続けられなくなっていました。2人の姉、ベティとエスターはそれぞれ10年生と5年生でしたが、ベティは後に小学校の教師になりました。
 隣接するシワイ地域はPNG政府の実質的統治下であったため、教育や医療といった行政サービスへのアクセスが可能でした。このサービスが受けられなかった2年間は悲惨なものでしたが、その後すべてのサービスが受けられるようになり、教育や医療が保障され、食事に塩を使い、石鹸を使って体を洗う生活ができるようになりました。
 エリヤと私はマイスアコミュニティ学校で1年生から、イサイアはコンガ小学校で4年生から勉強を始めましたが、私たちの心の中にはいつも未来への不安がありました。明日はどうやって起きよう。明日は安全だろうか。常に敵に襲われる不安があり、内戦中の授業への参加は大変で、時には全く通えないこともありました。
 私は2年間滞在したシワイで2年生まで終了しました。1996年の始めに故郷のバナ地区へ戻りましたが、戦争が続いていた為、生活は非常に困難でした。1997年、私が6年生の時、8年生だったイサイアが反対勢力に撃たれ、イーストニューブリテン州の病院に入院しました。1年後に帰宅した兄の体にはまひが残っていましたが、学校に通うことを望みました。8年生を終えた兄は、最後には12年生まで修了しました。一方、私は6年生を修了後に共通試験を受け、新しく設立されたバナ高校に入学、10年生まで修了しました。1998年には平和条約が締結され、ブーゲンビル内戦が終戦を迎えました。残念ながら、兄のイサイアは学業の途中で、臀部に残った銃弾による合併症を起こし、戦争による心的トラウマにも苦しみ、2016年に亡くなりました。
 兄たちは学問を断念し、家族で高等教育に進んだのは私だけでしたが、経済的にも体力的にも大変苦しいものでした。老いた両親からの支援は得られず、高校時代は小学校教師になった姉が、中学校、大学の時には大工をしていた兄のジェイコブが経済的支援をしてくれました。たくさんの困難がありましたが、2008年にゴロカ大学の教育分野で学士を取得、2014年にはPNG技術大学の数学分野で学位を取得しました。教育を受ける過程では、多くの困難があり、それに奮闘してきました。だからこそJICA研修員になれたことが誇らしく、修士号が取得できればキャリアの中で大きな布石となります。今後は母国PNGの人材育成分野で貢献するつもりです。

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I am Murray Olowa from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. This article explains my origins and the challenges that I have faced in my early education journey.
The island that I come from is called Bougainville, which is known as Autonomous Region of Bougainville today. This island has a population of about 300,000 people. I come from the remotest part called Bana District. I am the last born out of seven in the family.

My Challenging Education Journey

In late 1988, the landowners of Panguna mine, which was then the biggest open cut mine operated by Australian Company Rio Tinto, had issues over the unequal distribution of proceeds from mine and the environmental damages caused and its effects on the marine and land inhabitants. At the back of Bougainvillean’s mind was the desire to push for independence. In 1989, when I was 7 years old, the PNG Government imposed a blockade on all goods and services to its Bougainville population. We lived in the bush for three years (1990 to 1992) without any basic services. The only thing that was available to us was garden food and shelter.
By the end of 1992, we had to move to another district for fear of torture, harassment, and killings. I was already 10 years old. My brothers Isaiah and Elijah were 17 and 13 years old respectively. Isaiah was doing grade 4 when the crisis started and couldn’t continue his education. However, I and Elijah were kids at that time and had never been to school yet when the war broke out. We also had two sisters, Betty and Esther. Betty was doing grade 10 when the crisis started, while Esther was doing grade 5. Betty later became an elementary teacher.
Siwai area is our nearby district. This district was accessible to basic services such as education and health since it was under the control of PNG government. Two years without basic services was a total disaster. We could see the new life when services were provided to us. We could access education and health. We could eat food with salt. We could bathe with soap. We could access all basic services. We enrolled in grade 1 at Maisua Community School. Isaiah resumed his education by enrolling in grade 4 at Konga Primary School. Myself and my older brother -Elijah just started our grade 1 formal education. However, one thing that was always in our minds was our future. How am I going to wake up tomorrow? Is my safety guaranteed? We were always in fear of being attacked by the enemies. Attending classes under the war was very challenging. Sometimes we could never go to school.
We stayed in Siwai for two years where I did grade 1 and grade 2. In early 1996, we returned to our home in Bana District. Life was so hard as the fighting was continuing at that time.
While I was doing my grade 6, my brother Isaiah was doing grade 8 and he was shot by the rebels in 1997. He could not continue his education but spent the whole of his life in Nonga General Hospital in East New Britain Province. He was almost paralysed. After a year, he returned home, and he wished to continue his education. So, he did his grade 8 and was selected to go to Tonu High to do grade 9 and 10. He completed his grade 10 and was selected to do grade 11 and 12 in Hutjena Secondary School.
On the other hand, in 1996, I enrolled in grade 4 at Siangdaro Community School and then did Grade 4, 5 and 6. After completing grade 6, we sat for the national examination, and we were selected to open the new high school- Bana High School. I did grade 7, 8, 9 and 10. In 1998, a peace treaty was signed and that ended the Bougainville Civil War.
But it was very unfortunate for my brother Isaiah who sustained a gunshot in his hips and remained paralysed in the hospital for almost a year. So, he didn’t complete his studies, and passed on in 2016 due to the complications sustained from the bullets. Also, crisis-related issues psychologically affected his mind and was washed away by the running flooded river.
There is no one in my family who has gone on to higher education except me. All my young brothers didn’t continue their education. Life was very challenging both financially and physically because my aged mother and father couldn’t support me financially. While I was in high School, it was my sister, an elementary teacher who was supporting me financially.
When I was in secondary and university, it was my older brother Jacob who was supporting me financially. Jacob is a carpenter. Whatever he used to get from the carpentry job, he used to support me.
In conclusion, after going through many struggles, I have graduated with a bachelor’s in education in 2008 from the University of Goroka and then in 2014, I have attained a Diploma in Mathematics from the Papua New Guinea University of Technology. My educational journey was tough and challenging, full of tears and struggles. I am a proud recipient of JICA Scholarship, and it will be milestone achievement after completing my studies. I will contribute well to the Human Resource Development of my country.