The Glen Lean Ethnomathematics Centre (GLEC) was officially opened as a research centre on 20th June 2001 by Professor Geoffrey Saxe from the University of California at Berkeley, USA. Prior to that, the initial planning and consultation that took place between the academic staff of the University of Goroka's Department of Mathematics and Computing including the final decision to establish such a centre in PNG, more particularly at the University of Goroka, date back some 5 years. This involved consultations with a couple of our valued overseas colleagues namely, Dr Kay Owens then at the University of Western Sydney, Macarthur Campus, and now at Charles Sturt University, Dubbo campus and Professor Alan Bishop from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. The physical setting up of its initial database comprising of some 1,500 counting systems of PNG and Oceania region took place in April 2000. From an international perspective, these overseas colleagues have generously provided the necessary advice on the setting up of GLEC and have physically assisted in the transportation of the original hard copies of late Dr Lean's analysed data on counting systems from Australia back to PNG after his death in 1995.

The Centre is named after the late Dr. Glen Tolele Angove Lean who spent about 22 years lecturing at the PNG University of Technology in Lae, Morobe Province. It is a tribute to him for collecting and analysing some 1,500 counting systems of PNG and the Oceania region that include Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Irian Jaya and Northern Territory in Australia which currently form the initial database for the Centre. In his keynote address to the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics Conference in Cairns in July 1995, Professor Bishop described the late Dr Lean as a valuable colleague and "was many things - a gifted teacher, a true academic, a bibliophile, a gourmet, a marvelous raconteur and host, and a dedicated ethno-mathematical anthropologist."

The late Dr Glen A.T. LEAN
(Photo courtesy of Glen's parents, Joe and Jean Lean)

• Promoting and disseminating data on the indigenous mathematical knowledge through collaborative research projects between researchers from PNG and abroad, and by enhancing research skills of PNG national academics;
• Promoting critical academic discussions across different academic disciplines involving ethno-mathematicians, anthropologists, linguists, mathematics educators and mathematicians in developing and designing effective means of teaching mathematics and other academic disciplines in the 21st century and beyond;
• Providing a storage facility for collecting, preserving and cataloguing of all research data on ethnomathematics (both hardcopy & electronic) and enabling accessibility;
• Providing an additional avenue for UOG students to have access to information on ethnomathematics;
• Facilitating and sanctioning all research project proposals on ethnomathematics submitted by overseas researchers for the purposes of approving and recommending in consultation with the National Research Institute (NRI) in Port Moresby for the granting of research visa to conduct research in PNG;
• Designing and conducting relevant research in identifying mathematical practices in the cultural contexts (ethnomathematics) in PNG with the aim to design an Instructional Model that is most appropriate to the PNG situation and educationally beneficial in teaching mathematics;
• Providing an advisory role to different levels of education or other departments or organization

The establishment of the Glen Lean Ethnomathematics Centre as a research centre is in line with the Mission Statement of the University of Goroka, which states in part that:

In addition to the above, the establishment of GLEC also has significance on three important areas particularly for University of Goroka as an academic institution namely, cultural, educational and academic. These are elaborated very briefly as follows.

Cultural Reasons: The current Matane report commonly known as the PNG Philosophy of Education strongly emphasises the Integral Human Development as its philosophical base for educating its citizens. It is based on the five National Goals and Directive Principles found in the National Constitution that recognises the importance of integral human development, equality and participation, national sovereignty and self-reliance, natural resources and environment and Papua New Guinea ways. The establishment of GLEC is one way of not only promoting the growth and development of these principles of national unity and identity among the younger and future generation of PNG, but also preserve the rich diverse cultural heritage in all forms, some of which are fast disappearing. In this respect GLEC is very fortunate to have in its possession the collected data of some 600 out of possible 800 counting systems in Papua New Guinea made possible only because of the work done by late Dr Glen Lean over a 20-year period.

Educational Reasons: For a long time, mathematics teaching has emphasized teaching methods based on an Instructional Design which views mathematical knowledge as both culture and value-free. In other words, mathematics has been viewed by the designers of this instructional model to be totally independent of any form of influence resulting from human socio-cultural activities. This view in many ways has led to the more familiar explain-example-exercise pattern of expository teaching methods employed around the world. Moreover, the above view has also portrayed the study of mathematics as purely a process of academic abstraction limited to only very few privileged individuals. However, the current trend in mathematics education as an academic discipline is challenging this view arguing that mathematics, like any other discipline of academic pursuit is not immune to the influence of human thinking and everyday activities. The establishment of GLEC, is in the view of many ethnomathematicians from around the world including PNG, to be PNG's contribution in enabling the community of mathematics educators to face the challenges posed by this strongly held view of mathematics.

Academic Reasons: There are many aspects of our indigenous cultural knowledge base that have the potential to become both exciting and challenging but are yet to be explored for their academic insight, value, and interest. The establishment of GLEC provides an opportunity for many Papua New Guineans to not only face up to the academic challenges of exploring the knowledge development in PNG before European contact, but also, as a result of these challenges, also contribute to the pool of world knowledge. The establishment of GLEC is the culmination of the belief that budding PNG national academics have the necessary credentials to face up to the challenges of academic pursuit in various fields of knowledge.

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