I took "chosen few" to mean that the elementals passed over stewardship of white magic to the Padjal. Nothing more, nothing less. Because that's how the language reads: "chosen few [of the elementals]" flows into "the Padjal".
The line that really carries weight is “The Padjal… oversee its careful instruction,†which implies that they are teaching non-Padjali, that they are selective, and that they have criteria.
The line that really carries weight is “The Padjal… oversee its careful instruction,†which implies that they are teaching non-Padjali, that they are selective, and that they have criteria.