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Continuing education & tvet: an alternative system at the university of the south pacific

Salanieta Bakalevu & Neelam Narayan

Dr Salanieta BakalevuSenior LecturerSchool of EducationFaculty of Arts & LawUniversity of the South PacificSuva67 !"!"!7" #office$% 67 !!'' #a(h$)akalevu*s+us,-ac-f.

BACKGR!N"

The University of the South Pacific (USP) is one of two regional institutions in the world. The

USP region that covers 12 Pacific Island countries Coo Islands! "i#i! $iri%ati! &arshallIslands! 'auru! 'iue! Saoa! Soloon Islands! Toelau! Tonga! Tuvalu and anuatu * traverses

a large ocean ass and five tie +ones. The geogra,hical isolation of the sall island nations

together with the shar, inforation differential in the region have ade distance and fle-i%lelearning the logical and ost convenient a,,roach right fro the %eginning and in this new era.

The a, on the ne-t ,age shows the wide distri%ution of the USP region.

The University has ,ioneered distance and fle-i%le learning and teaching since the 1/0s through

its -tension Services. Since o,ening its doors in 13! the University has shown an ongoing!dee, coitent to fulfilling the challenge of ,roviding the %est 4uality of education for the

,eo,le even as the circustances of the region continued to change. It has %een an active ,artner

in the total develo,ent of its e%er countries and the region in the last forty years. 5ith a

total enrolent of slightly over 1!000 students (2003) studying in all 12 countries the Universityof the South Pacific is the ,reier ,rovider of 4uality tertiary education in the region.

#A$ % '( !S$ R(G)N

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mailto:bakalevu_s@usp.ac.fjmailto:bakalevu_s@usp.ac.fj

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This ,a,er will discuss the systes of o,en schooling that e-ists at the USP. 6 co%ined syste

of the co,leentary and alternative fors of o,en schooling (7aniel and "erreira! 2003)o,erates through the Continuing and Counity ducation (CC) Centre and the College of

"oundation Studies (C"S). In different ways the two sections ,rovide an inclusive service %y

offering an alternative learning ,athway to various levels of learners who failed to ,rogressthrough the traditional acadeic ,athway.

"istance & %le*i+le ,earning -"%,. at the !S$

8ver the years the -tension Services looing after 7"9 has grown ,rogressively and %ecoeincreasingly integrated into the total o,erations of the University. In 2002 it was renaed the

7istance and "le-i%le 9earning Su,,ort Centre (7"9SC) in line with restructuring ,lans fori,roved services. In a further realignent and ,rioriti+ing of its activities in 200/! there was a

further nae change to the Centre for "le-i%le and 7istance 9earning (C"79). Three su%*units

that coe under the C"79: 7istance and "le-i%le 9earning! Continuing ducation and Pre*degree Studies. The CC Centre and the C"S have since %ecoe inde,endent entities of the

University and are now self*funding.

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7istance and fle-i%le learning is the core ,edagogical conce,t inforing the University;s

teaching and learning real (7"9! 2010). 7"9 courses are designed for inde,endent study. The

7"9 Unit wors colla%oratively with Schools and 7e,artents for the design and develo,entof learning aterials and esta%lishing environents for USP courses using a variety of odes

(! there was verysignificant increase fro the 0 students enrolled in 1 7"9 courses in 1/ to the assive

1=!000 students enrolled in 1=0 7"9 courses in 200> (C"79! 200).

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e,loya%ility (&aclean! 200). Teasdale (200) suggests that lifelong learning services and

effective lifelong a,,roaches that e,hasi+e the develo,ent of life*sills and livelihoods can

actually wor to strengthen the closer articulation %etween the different levels of education *,riary and secondary school as well as secondary school! TT and the world of wor. 6n

i,ortant thread that needs to %e running through the levels is a dee, grounding in local cultures

and a strong sense of identity.

999 ,olicies in PICs are at different stages of develo,ent and i,leentation. 6lready anu%er of 999 ,ro#ects and ,rogras are %eing undertaen %y different grou,s lie 'B8s!

Churches and counities. The Tutu &arist Training Centre in "i#i and the Waan Aelon in

Majel(Canoes of the &arshall Islands) or E56&D ,ro#ect of the &arshall Islands are two of theost successful ones (P"S! 200/). They also rese%le the alternative for of o,en schooling

(7aniel and "erreira! 2003). The &6TU6 ,rogra at 'a%ua Secondary School in "i#i deserves

s,ecial ention in successfully ,roviding the conventional school curriculu after hours for out*of*school learners who desire Si-th and Seventh for 4ualification. The School o,erates the

conventional ,rogra during noral school hours and the &6TU6 ,rogra in the eveningsA

%oth ,rogras use the sae curriculu! are taught %y the sae teachers! and offer the saee-ainations. The success of the &6TU6 ,rogra is %est e-e,lified %y this success story:

0

Losalini Mawi was named Dux of the School at the Nabua Secondary School Form Seven

graduation yesterday. Mrs Mawi, who is five months pregnant with her first child, was on

cloud nine after beating over ! Form Seven students for the pri"e. She is a M#$%#

&rogram student and was encouraged to continue her education even though she left 'atu

Mara (ollege, on La)eba, in *++. Mrs Mawi could not hold bac) her tears after her name

was called.

#part from the dux award, the woman from -a)ano, La)eba in Lau, too) out the istory and

/est #ttendance pri"es. Mrs Mawi won the hearts of students, teachers and parentspresent when husband $imoci Mawi was as)ed to present her istory pri"e. $he couple

received accolades after Mr Mawi gave Losalini a pec) on her chee).

#ge is no barrier to education, says Losalini Mawi.

0$his is another chapter of my life and 1 am proud that 1 am able to achieve the dux pri"e

of the school. 1t never occurred in my dreams that 1 would reach Form Seven and even

complete it. $he Fi2i Form Seven 3xamination is only days away and 1 am confident that 1

will do well.

1 left school in *++ after failing my Form Six exam and 1 settled down in the village and

found a husband. /ut an uncle of mine, Mala)ai $adulala, came over to the village and told

me there was a program where 1 could sit my sixth form exam again. 4e had to leave the

island and come to Suv.a 1n 5!! 1 enrolled as a Matua &rogram student to do Form Six. 1

passed my Form Six exam and was last year enrolled as a seventh former. 1 did well, but 1

)new that 1 could have done much better, so this year 1 am giving it another try,0

Mrs Mawi said she could not have as)ed for a better husband. 0e has been behind me and

is the one who is paying for all my education expenses.

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(Source: "i#i Ties! 'ove%er 2 200/A ,age )

The ducation &inisters "oru on non*foral education asserted that 999 Ehas the ,otential to,rovide a ,roactive learning a,,roach as asystem, process andsetting and %ecoe a dynaic

force for change in the PacificD (P"S! 200/). They have called for a holistic a,,roach to

strengthen ,olicy and resource ,rovisions! esta%lish constructive lins %etween all systes!develo, curriculu aterials! co*ordinate ca,acity %uilding and ,ut in ,lace 4uality control

easures.

S,eaing at a regional TT worsho, in Palau! U'SC8 consultant Fu,ert &aclean (200)shared the U'SC8 view of education as the ey to develo,ent! and TT as Ethe

educational aster ey that o,ens a door for any country struggling to surviveD (,. 2?). It is the

ey E%ecause it facilitates sills develo,ent and e,loya%ilityD.

EIf TT training is availa%le to all who re4uire it! there will %e a reduction in ,overty! a

oveent towards e4uity and fairness! and disadvantage will diinishD! &aclean added.

TT educational ,rovisions are co,rehensive and include a,,renticeshi, training! technical

vocational education! occu,ational education! vocational education and training! career andtechnical education! and continuing vocational education and training. &aclean called for the

counity to %e convinced of the i,ortance of TT as a ,rovider of life sills fore,loyent and citi+enshi,! initiative and self*sufficiency! and self e,loyent.

C,,(G( % %!N"A)N S!")(S -C%S.0 !S$

1

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The C"S that was initially called the Pre*degree Studies Unit is a ,roactive for of continuing

education. It functions lie a senior secondary school in ,re,aring students for University study

at the USP as well as other tertiary institutions locally and a%road. Its two ain ,rogras ofstudy are:

(i) the Preliinary Studies which is the e4uivalent of the Si-th for! and(ii) the "oundation Studies that is e4uivalent to the Seventh "or Certificate.

The services of the C"S are not liited only to successful; school leavers %ut also school*agelearners who have not %een successful at "or and "or / and re4uire %ridging in a select

nu%er of courses to %ring the u, to ,ar. In addition! ature*age learners wanting university

entrance 4ualifications can enroll in the sae ,rogras.

To %e ore accessi%le to the region! the C"S uses effective delivery through i-ed odes. Its

tutors are su%#ect s,ecialists who develo, course aterials and su,,ort students through the

noral 7"9 syste of the University. Staff wor closely and aintains close dialogue withschool authorities in the region. 6 new diension of the C"S that is %eing trialed is the franchise

of its ,rogras to secondary schools that ,refer a closer alignent to University studies.

CN)N!)NG & C##!N)1 ("!CA)N -CC(. C(NR(0 !S$

he ission of the CC is to Edeliver e-cellence in Continuing and Counity education that

e,owers and ena%les individuals and counities in the region to %e a%le to sustain

theselvesD (FCC! 200). The Centre is an i,ortant catalyst for change and acts as a %ridge%etween the University and the counity. The CC;s role in facilitating the transition to

tertiary study in the for of ,re*degree studies and ,rogras is a ,articular strength.

The CC Centres in the regional ca,uses offer a wide variety of courses and ,rogras that

focus on life sills and wor*related content. 5ith fle-i%ility and o,enness in ters of courseduration! re4uireent and study ties the CC courses are very a,,ealing. Benerally the

duration of CC courses varies fro 10 to ?2 hours of teaching s,read over a nu%er of wees.

Courses cover a wide array of su%#ects such as co,uter sills! languages! %ooee,ing!atheatics! %usiness studies! econoics! creative writing! counity develo,ent sills!

literature! handicrafts! floral arts! fa%ric arts! woodcarving! fine arts! carving! ,oetry! usic!

video ,roduction! leadershi, sills! health studies! ,u%lic teaching! ,ro%le solving and generalliteracy sills. The courses can %e classified under four a#or ty,es: (i) Counity ICT

CoursesA (ii)

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In 7ece%er 200/! the Tonga Ca,us hired a lecturer of the Tonga &aritie Polytechnic

Institute (T&PI) to run a 2 wees

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CC( R(G)NA, $RGRA#S % S!"1

Dipti Mala attended one of the country7s top secondary schools and aced the Fi2i Seventh

Form examination in *++i? Stages *9@ in Flower #rrangement

>ii? 1$ (ourse in Databases, 4eb design, and Araphic design

>iii? Stages * B5 Landscaping

>iv? Stages * B 5 in Nursery Management

>v? Fish farming

>vi? Stages * B 5 Floriculture

1 as)ed Dipti two Cuestions= why she needed to do so many courses, and why she has not

gone bac) to complete her degree. $his is her answer=

61 am very happy in my 2ob. 1 am still )een to study but not the long period of boo)wor)

study. 1 tried to do law in 5!!@ but after 5 units 1 gave up because 1 needed to spend time

with my daughter. $he Saturday classes are better because that is my free day and 1 can

do what 1 want. $he short classes give Cuic) results and that is nice. 1 love flowers and

horticulture : 1 use my flower arrangement s)ills for church and family functions. 1 can see

a future in that.

$he computer s)ills are useful in my wor). $echnology is changing fast and 1 need to be

confident with 1$. 1 will continue to learn the latest in 1$. 3verything 1 learn 1 put into

practice : that is the learning 1 prefer. #nd 1 have some ideas for setting up a fish farm

maybe later on.8

Dipti is not done this year she intends to enroll in the (ertificate in 3(3 6to help me be a

better mother to my daughter8, she said.

#t a time when the lowering of compulsory retirement age has caught many people

unprepared, Dipti recommends the short life9s)ill courses of the ((3 (entre and multi9

)illing as the way to go.

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The newly restructured Fegional Continuing and Counity ducation (FCC) Centre at the

ain 9aucala Ca,us in Suva also coordinates regional non*credit Certificate Progras fro

tie to tie through distance and fle-i%le learning. These are the Certificate in arly Childhoodducation (CC)! the Certificate in 7isa%ility Studies (C7IS)! the Counity 5orers;

Certificate (C5C) and the

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The e-,eriences of the hus%and*and*wife tea of Hohn and 9ai+a $eniwa;ia testify to therealities of education in the Pacific region and the way CC de*ystifies the ,erce,tion of a

university.

Certificate in "isa+ility Studies -C"C.

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61 chose the &re9School (ertificate that was offered by %S& and completed it in *++. 1

li)e 3(3 because it was new and different. #lso, 1 had helped ta)e care of my brothers and

sisters before and it was EI. 1 felt confident about my future8, ohn said.

ohn became 3(3 teacher at a local public school. 61 was happy to be a trained teacher8, he

said. #ssured that his career was established, ohn enrolled into S1(37s (ertificate in

3(3 in *+++ and completed it in 5!!!. ohn Ieniwa7ia has not loo)ed bac) since and is now

established as a leading 3(3 educator and consultant in the Solomon 1slands. #long the way

he met his wife, Lai"a 'odi, herself an 3(3 educator. $hey share the same passion.

Laiza Rodi Keniwaiaspent the most part of her early years wor)ing with the Sisters of

the #nglican (hurch. 1n *++< this young woman from Auadalcanal &rovince enrolled into the

&reschool (ertificate being offered by the %S&7s (ontinuing 3ducation (entre. 4ith the

(ertificate in the bag, Li"a 'odi began a career in early childhood education. Li)e her

husband ohn, she never loo)ed bac) after that.

61n *++ S1(3 started enrolments and 1 wanted to go further in my career so 1 enrolled

for the (ertificate in 3(3, which 1 completed in 5!!!. 1 continued to teach in 3(3 and

created awareness among other colleagues. 1t was still a new area and not many people

)new about it8, Lai"a said. 1n 5!!; the Ministry of 3ducation appointed her as (oordinator

for 3(3 for Auadalcanal &rovince, the position she still holds today. Mrs Ieniwa7ia intends to

ta)e further studies with the %niversity in 5!*!.

Etonia Waqa, Fiji

4hen 3tonia 4aCa began sixth form at secondary school, he had his sight on big things.

$he common belief was that once you get to Form J you are safeK $he reality though is the

very opposite : every year the highest number of failures, for Fi2ian students anyway, is

recorded in the Fi2i School Leaving (ertificate >FSL(? that students sit at the sixth form.

3tonia left school in *++ with no clear plans for the future.

3tonia7s real brea) did not come until three years later. 1n 5!!5 someone introduced the

young man to ilton Special School in Suva. is first day at the school changed his life.

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It is students who ae the ,rogras. The stories in this ,a,er are only si- of the several

thousand voices who have %enefitted fro 999 courses and ,rogras that offered the alifeline. The realities that these graduates e-,ress reflect %oth the conflicts and ho,es that they

and any others e-,erience.

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owever! instead of si,ly focusing on curriculu choice &aclean suggests a total curriculu

refor that includes a refor of teacher education. It is true that Egood schools re4uire good

teachersD (7elors! 1). The need now is for innovative teacher training that integrates the

areas of aterial develo,ent! learner su,,ort and the use of ICT (7aniel and "erreira! 2003A

10). TT and 8,en schooling have the advantage of %eing less e-,ensive co,ared to the

conventional school syste (7aniel and "erreira! 2003A &aclean! 200). 6 TT curriculu

offered through o,en schooling a,,roaches has the ,otential to change a stalled syste that wors only

oderately well for any students and not at all for soe.

R(%(R(NC(S

0.

Teasdale! B. F. (200). Introduction: new visions! new ,athways. In . Toai and H. Teasdale

(d). .$e /ole of .%E. in Pacific Secondary Sc$ools! Suva! I8! USP. 1*12.

Thaan! $. . (200?). Culture! teaching and learning in 8ceania. In $. . Thaan (d)

Educational Ideas from ceania! Suva! I8! USP! ? 12.

erau! H. (2003). 9ifelong learning ,olicies and ,ractices in the Pacific Islands. In 7orovoloo

et. al. (d)Pacific Education0 Issues and Perspectives! Suva:USP. 10 12=.

6US6I7. (200). Pacific 2020: Challenges and 8,,ortunities f conoic Browth. Can%erra.

C"79 (200). 6%out C"79. Fetrieved on "e%ruary 1! 2010 fro UF9:

htt,:JJwww.cfdl.us,.ac.f#Jinde-.,h,KidL//23

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http://www.cfdl.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=7728http://www.cfdl.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=7728

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Pacific "oru Secretariat. (200/). 'on*foral ducation in Pacific Countries. Fetrieved on

"e%ruary 1! 2010 fro UF9:htt,:JJwww.forusec.orgJresourcesJu,loadsJattachentsJdocuentsJ"7&&200/ 'on*"oral

ducation in PICs.,df

Fegional Centre for Continuing and Counity ducation (2010). Fetrieved on "e%ruary 1!

2010 fro UF9:

htt,:JJwww.us,.ac.f#Jinde-.,h,KidL3=2/

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