212 BOOK REVIEWS

as Abbey L. Bloom reminds us, health services can be justified on humanitarian as well as economic grounds just as the objectives for education can include individual human intellectual development as well as the collective economic good. For these reasons, also, policy and aid decisions are likely to be more complex than economic rationalism would suggest. The complexity of the issues remind us that, though the Pacific states are small, their development will require not only the wisdom of Solomon but also some of the wealth of his mines.

RICHARD PEARSE Associate Professor, School of Education,

Macquarie University, Australia

Pacific Universities: Achievements, Problems, Prospects: R. Crocombe and M. Meleisea (eds). Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific, Suva, 1988,427~~.

Those wishing to understand the range and complexity of higher educational development across the Pacific this book published by the Institute of Pacific Studies is a useful source of information.

No doubt because the original research project began as a study of the University of the South Pacific (USP) the analysis of that institution is particularly detailed and thorough. Former Vice-Chancellors such as Aikman and Brosnahan comment upon the dominant issues during their terms of office though a personal contribution by James Maraj, who initiated many changes during his term of office, is a notable absence. Aikman reflects upon the establishment phase of 1968-1974, Brosnahah emphasises the growth of outreach between 1975 and 1983, and extracts from the present Vice-Chancellor’s (Caston) official writings portray the more recent phase, 1983-1987 as one of consolidation.

Other aspects of USP that are taken up by different contributors include finance; the natural sciences; satellites and centres; university outreach and culture and com- munication.

The book is structured into five main sections; of these Parts I and V consist of general introductory and concluding analyses. Part II contains the nine chapters on USP, Part III focuses on ‘Other Systems of Tertiary Education’ and Part IV examines ‘National Perspectives on Higher Education.’

While overall the book covers an impressive range of topics, some of its 30 chapters are little more than brief descriptive accounts of recent developments. This is the case, for example, with De Dekker and Drollet’s paper on L’Universitt Fran9aise du Pacifique. This leaves the reader looking for more substantial analyses of issues and implications.

On the other hand some of these brief accounts do capture the spirit of exciting developments as recorded by those involved in practice. This is a strength of many Institute of Pacific Studies publications-a body which has long encouraged local academics and practitioners to present their views to a wider audience. Futa Helu’s personal account of the Atenisi Institute and University in Tonga is, for example, a short but inspiring contribution that will be of interest throughout the Pacific.

Similarly, the brief ‘national perspectives’ of indigenous

writers presented in Part IV are an essential component of any book that claims sensitivity to Pacific educational dilemmas.

Considering the relative size and importance of Papua New Guinea as a ‘superpower’ of the Pacific it is remiss that only one chapter focuses upon that system of higher education. In this, John Lynch, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Papua New Guinea usefully reflects the impact of recent governmental pressures upon the university community-pressures that have emphasised the production of trained manpower with consequent challenges to the wider educational and research roles of the university.

Overall this is a book that is rich in descriptive detail combining a commendable blend of local and external perspectives. The range of quality between the different contributions is considerable if evaluated in a narrow academic sense; but this would be to miss the point of this and many other publications sponsored by the Institute of Pacific Studies. Up to date accounts of educational developments in this region are sadly lacking in the international literature and as yet those that do exist are dominated by the perspective of external analysts. There is certainly room for the variety of work presented here, and a need to support such initiatives both from inside and outside less developed countries.

Having said this there are significant analytical strengths within this important book-not least of which is the forceful critique of USP as a regional institution which runs throughout the volume. Specific issues are raised by numerous contributors but the challenge to USP is clearly sustained by the editors through their co-ordinating influence and more directly in their concluding analysis of achievements, problems and prospects. Central to this analysis is concern for the Fijian domination of the University, to the detriment of the smaller island states of the region. This issue is further explored in the context of the growth of separate national institutions of higher education and the likely future patterns of development in higher education in the region. To some this will be a provocative analysis but it is one that commands considerable attention within the South Pacific and one that helps to make this book essential reading for all with an interest in such issues.

MICHAEL CROSSLEY University of Papua New Guinea

Education and Colonial Control in Papua New Guinea: A Documentary History: Peter Smith. Longman Cheshire, Melbourne, 1987, fl2.00.

Now is your chance to vicariously become an an explorer. What is it like to delve into educational archives? Peter Smith has done this for you and produced a book that gives a feeling for the experience-without all the writer’s cramp, sore back, strained eyes or confusion that he must have experienced over a decade of research. His search took him beyond the University of Papua New Guinea and the National Archives in Waigani. He visited private archives in Bereina, Lae, Rabaul and elsewhere. Rich are the rewards for the reader. Papua New Guinea owes a vote of thanks to Smith for what he has accomplished.

Smith has not only made presentable the notes and