"I have a question, Mr. President”

This week in Pohnpei, the teachers of the H.A.P. program took all of our students on a field trip to Palikir, the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia. It was about a 25 minute bus trip outside of Kolonia, the main town. At Palikir we toured the government buildings and offices visiting the Department of Health, Department of Education, and Department of Justice. The highlight of our trip was a meeting with the president of the F.S.M., Manny Mori.

Previously, from my own experiences with the president, I have observed the completely ordinary treatment Manny Mori receives from fellow Micronesians. He is not constantly flocked by security as the American president is. One day in Pohnpei I was eating lunch at a restaurant with other JVs and some Peace Corps volunteers when President Mori walked into the restaurant with his family members. We, the expats, were all a bit star-struck but no one else, including the waitress, even seemed to notice. I have seen him come in and out of church unannounced. One of our Japanese friends, Fumina, was waiting on the side of the road for a taxi one day in Chuuk and was picked up by President Mori who kindly dropped her off at her destination.

President Mori is a Chuukese man. This is significant because of the four states in the F.S.M- Yap, Kosrae, Chuuk, and Pohnpei- Chuuk is often criticized as the most corrupt, and the greatest impediment to progress in the F.S.M. I listened to a Peace Corps volunteer refer to Chuuk as a “failed state” this week. Chuuk also happens to be the most populated state.

At Palikir, President Mori met with our 39 students and 5 teachers for 45 minutes. He advised the students to stay in school, listen to their parents and teachers, go to college, and remain humble. When he asked for questions, our soon to be 8^th graders were very, very quiet. Generally this would be a way that young children show respect to adult men, so we weren’t surprised by their silence. Instead it gave the other teachers and me an opportunity to ask our own questions.

Josh asked President Mori what he thought was the greatest challenge to the F.S.M. in becoming a better nation. President Mori’s answer was education. He called the education system in the F.S.M. a “broken system.” He cited Chuuk specifically, noting the failure of getting students into schools, and the lack of students who graduate high school or college.

My question to President Mori asked what he would say to students who do have the opportunity to attend college and are facing the decision whether or not to return to the F.S.M. after the graduate. Often college educated students can’t find jobs that are suited to their level of skill, or pay a living wage. The minimum wage in the F.S.M. is around $1.25 an hour. Much of the cause for the lack of jobs has been the imposition of a market economy on a people who lived and operated a subsistence economy for most of their people’s history. Even so, it had seemed to me that the country would need its most educated citizens here, working for the betterment of the nation.

President Mori’s response to this question was a candid admittance of his country’s inability to provide opportunities for college graduates. He recommended that graduates seek out the best opportunities and seize them even if it does mean moving to Guam, Saipan, Hawaii or the mainland U.S. He acknowledged the F.S.M’s failure to offer adequate health care, employment, or education to its citizens. His honesty surprised me, even though I know his statements regarding the breakdown of the country’s infrastructure to be true. To publicly acknowledge the incapacity of your own government to support its people seems like it must be difficult for a leader. Even so, his openness in discussing the issues gave me hope for improvement within the F.S.M.

President Mori asked that if college graduates could find jobs at home that they please do return and contribute to the country’s growth. He made each of our students promise to graduate college, calling them the future of the nation and reminding them of their responsibility to their islands. Each student upon leaving shook hands with President Mori. When it was my and the other teachers’ turn, we were able to converse for a few minutes. President Mori asked where we were from and thanked us for our service as teachers. We accepted his gratitude, though I think thanks seems completely unnecessary, we should be thanking him for allowing us to be here and learning from Micronesia.

I don’t often find myself caught up in instances of inspiration here. Usually my thoughts are too skeptical to overcome the clichés of teacherly moments. However my interaction with President Mori really impressed me and made me grateful to be a part of education here, which has been identified as one of the greatest needs for Micronesia by its president.