NEWSPAGE 03 September
2010

(Photos: Auckland Museum)

(Photo: Samoa Government)

SAMOA: Parliamentary Updates
Source: Government Press Secretariat Press Release

September Fuel Prices 2010

Cabinet has approved the retail petroleum products prices for September 2010.
 

As stated in the table above, petrol price will be decreased from $2.52 to $2.50sene/ltr, diesel cost will remain at $2.56sene/ltr while kerosene will also be decreased from $2.34 to $2.33sene/ltr.

The new costs came into effect on the 1st of September 2010.


National Clean Up Day

Saturday 4th September 2010 has been approved by Cabinet as the National Clean Up Day for Apia town area in preparations for the Teuila Festival 2010.

The Samoa Tourism Authority and the National Beautification Committee initiated this programme, and have asked for assistance from Government Ministries and Government Corporations.

Ministries and Corporations will be allocated to different parts of the focused area according to the set program. The cleanup will start from Apia Town Area up to Lepea Bridge.


Financial Assistance for the Government of China

Cabinet has approved financial assistance of USD$50,000.00 for the Government of China to assist the people of the Province of Zhouqu, Gansu which were affected by flooding in early August, 2010.

According to latest reports, the disaster has killed 1,407 people, and has also destroyed properties and residences. Latest reports have also shown that about 300 people are still missing.

The Government of Samoa wishes to help the Government of China by donating this money to help its people as they have also helped Samoa in the past years.


New Fale for the Samoa Tourism Authority opens

Cabinet has approved the official opening of the new fale for the Samoa Tourism Authority on Friday, 3rd September, 2010 at Eleele Fou.

The new building now replaces the old STA fale.

The programme is scheduled to start at 5.30pm with the Hon. Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi delivering the keynote address.

Construction for the new building took about two months to complete.


Companies awarded contracts for Roads Routine Maintenance

Cabinet has approved Contracts awarded to the following Companies for Routine Maintenance of Roads in Upolu and Savaii.
 

Invitations for bids were advertised for Expression of Interest. Thirty bids were submitted for the construction of the projects. The applications were assessed by the Sub-Committee.

After assessment, the contracts for Routine Maintenance of roads were awarded to the winning contractors as mentioned in the table above.


Samoa delegation for IMF/PFTAC meeting

Cabinet has approved participation by the Samoa delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Center (PFTAC) meeting in Port Vila, Vanuatu to be held on the 9-10 September 2010.

The meeting will focus on challenges face by the global economies. The intention is to maintain the PFTAC office as the Pacific region’s centre.

Leading Samoa’s delegation is the Hon.Minister of Finance, Niko Lee Hang with the Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Finance, Tupaimatuna Iulai Lavea.
 

(Photo: J. Kneubuhl)

AMERICAN SAMOA: ASCC instructors independently pursuing advanced degrees
Source: American Samoa Community College Press Release

Despite some formidable challenges, more than a dozen administrative staff members and instructors at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) have taken the initiative to pursue Doctoral degrees through online programs and other long-distance means. Some of the instructors and staff members at the College recently shared their stories about their online Doctoral degree pursuits, as well as their motivations for making the sacrifices this entails.

Most instructors cited the cost and the time demands as their main challenges. The overall price of earning a Doctorate degree online averages between $40,000 and $70,000, and the financial aid resources available typically involve loans rather than the grants available to undergraduates. Long-distance courses involve many hours worth of reading, followed by a comprehensive exam on the material before the student can move on to the next step in the lesson plan. The entire process usually takes between three and seven years, but sometimes more, and often entails an additional residency component requiring the student to be physically present on the campus of the institution issuing the degree for time periods ranging from several days to several weeks once or more a year.

Rosevonne Pato, Director of the ASCC Office of Institutional Effectiveness, has “about one more year” to complete her Doctor of Education (Ed. D.) in Counseling Psychology degree with Argosy University. She said that earning a doctorate “has always been my dream,” even though her program comes at a substantial monetary cost and requires her to carefully budget her time and energy. “This method of study forces you to work out a time schedule of juggling home life, your work load with your job, and all other lifestyle activities with the university program and course requirements,” Pato explained. “Time management, perseverance, and continual family support are the only means to surviving this.”

English Language Institute instructor Siamaua Ropeti said that “for the last two and a half years I simply did not have a life,” but that the sacrifice is paying off as she nears the completion of her Ed. D. in Teacher Leadership from Walden University, now in the dissertation stage. “Our knowledge and system of thinking need to be upgraded so we can compensate students who are also learning in a fast changing world,” she said. “Enthusiastic teachers can only motivate students when they’re motivated themselves. It is no longer enough to teach what you’ve learned from five or ten years ago.” Ropeti has also enjoyed the online interaction with others in her field. “The experience I’ve acquired through networking with professors and teachers worldwide is priceless,” she enthused.

Grace Tulafono, Director of Management Information Systems is working towards a PhD in Organization and Management from Capella University. This marks her second try at a Doctorate after family commitments necessitated she withdraw from her initial program. “It’s a great struggle, juggling work, family, and this program,” Tulafono said. “However, I’ve learned, especially from not finishing my first program, that whether or not I complete this one, what’s more important is that I continue to become a better learner and a better contributor to life around me. While getting the PhD will be a great accomplishment, for now, I’m trying to simply enjoy and appreciate the lessons on my journey towards it.”

Tauvela Fale, Director of the Adult Education, Literacy & Extended Learning Department, is pursuing a Doctorate degree from the University of Hawaii through the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) MACIMISE Project. The goal of the five-year MACIMISE Project is to recover mathematical concepts in the indigenous cultures of the region served by PREL, including American Samoa. Once these mathematical understandings from each culture have been identified, the idea is to then turn them into curriculum materials for pilot use in local elementary schools. Fale qualified for MACIMISE based on both his experience teaching math as well as his knowledge of Samoan culture, and as he serves as both a researcher and curriculum developer, MACIMISE covers the full cost of his degree studies.

Additional ASCC instructors currently pursuing Doctorate degrees shared information about their activities, but said they preferred not to make their names public until after they complete their programs. “Sometimes the instructors have to take a break from their programs because of other obligations, or because they need to find additional financial resources,” one of them explained. “You could compare it to getting a pe’a or a malu (men’s and women’s body tattoos) in that it’s a great distinction, but you don’t want to show it until it’s complete.”

ASCC Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Kathleen Kolhoff-Belle said that the College will try to assist teachers pursuing advanced degrees through Professional Development funding, but that resources have been very limited. “ASCC has some ARRA funding available for professional development and our Institutional Strategic Plan includes support for advanced study,” she said. “These faculty members are working hard to improve educational quality at ASCC and we will provide Professional Development assistance as funds become available.”
The sacrifices necessary to reach the next professional level seem of secondary importance to instructors like To’aiva Fiame-Tago of the Social Science Department, who will begin work on her Ed. D., also with Capella University, this October. Fiame-Tago reflected: “My ultimate goal is to see this program through, and to continue to make a difference in the lives' of the students that I currently teach and those that I will continue to teach in the years to come.”

Photo Caption: English Language Institute (ELI) instructor Siamaua Ropeti (center), one of the
ASCC faculty currently pursuing a Doctorate degree, receives encouragement and support from ELI chairperson Elisapeta Faalafi-Jones (right) and fellow instructor Ethel Sokimi.
 

FIJI: Fiji band sings health
Source: Fiji Times

Koro Island group Tegu ni Delai Kuitarua has released two health songs on healthy living and HIV and AIDS.

The group will launch its music compact disk (CD) at a live concert show tonight at the Suva Civic Centre.

Ministry of Health spokesman Iliesa Tora said the group composed the two health songs titled Na Tiko Bulabula about healthy living, and Au Vakamamasu, a song on HIV and AIDS.

"The ministry supported the group's CD production by funding the production of the two songs," he said.

Meanwhile, Public Health deputy secretary Doctor Josefa Koroivueta said the two songs were timely compositions.

"Na Tiko Bulabula is a song on health promotion and advice, talking about physical activities, general wellbeing and the fact that we need to strengthen hand washing," Dr Koroivueta said.

"Au Vakamamasu is a song about HIV and AIDS. The group has done a good job in getting these two songs produced for both the young and older generation," he said.

Group leader Laisenia Bese said they wanted to sing about health advice because a lot of people suffered from wrong health choices.

"We hope the two songs can be used by listeners to make wise decisions."

The concert will start at 7pm and CDs will be sold at the concert for $10.

Funds raised at the concert will go towards the development of the seven-member group, six of whom are unemployed youths.
 

(Photo: NorthTec)

NEW CALEDONIA: NorthTec tutor in New Caledonia artists’ symposium
Source: NorthTec Press Release via Pacific Scoop

NorthTec tutor and Māori carver Brian Mitchell (Ngāti Hine) is one of five international artists who have been invited to participate in this month’s Identité Partagée (Shared Identity) symposium in New Caledonia.

Brian is joining seven other artists at the live-in symposium in Nouméa to create a collaborative work which will be exhibited alongside other works by the artists in an exposition in Nouméa from 16-30 September.

“As a NorthTec graduate, it is truly an honour to be the only Māori carver selected to participate in the symposium.”

Brian will exhibit a selection of his wood carvings and will also participate in the creation of a collaborative sculpture with indigenous artists from around the Pacific which will be presented as a gift to the people of the New Caledonia’s southern province.

“Being of Ngāti Hine descent, I wanted to incorporate an element from home into the collaborative sculpture design, not only to express the tribal relationships between the Melanesians and Māori, but to raise awareness of whale conservation. Ngāti Wai names Whangarei harbour Whangarei-to-rerenga-parāoa (the gather place of whales) because whales gathered here to feed during summer. These same whales are known to also frequent New Caledonia’s beautiful waters and lagoons.”

Brian left for Noumea, New Caledonia on 28 August. The Identité Partagée symposium coincides with the Melanesian Arts Festival.

NorthTec is the Tai Tokerau (Northland) region’s largest provider of tertiary education, with campuses and learning centres in Whangarei, Kerikeri, Rāwene, Kaikohe and Kaitaia. NorthTec also has over 60 community-based delivery points from Coatesville in rural Rodney to Ngataki in the Far North.

Photo Caption: Brian Mitchell with two of his carvings - a tekoteko (left) and a tokipoutangata.
 

(Photo: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme)

WORLDWIDE: New regional plan to conserve Pacific wetlands
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme Press Release

A new draft three-year action plan has been developed outlining activities, responsibilities and targets that seek to promote and strengthen the wise use and conservation of wetlands in the region.

The new Regional Wetlands Action Plan for the Pacific Islands follows on from the original Regional Wetlands Action Plan endorsed by members of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in 1999. The new action plan covers the period 2011-2013 and is expected to be finalised this month.

The three-year action plan was developed during a regional workshop which was held in August in Noumea, New Caledonia to review the implementation of the 1999 Regional Wetlands Action Plan. It preceded a series of training sessions on implementation processes of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands for contracting parties and accession procedures for non-contracting parties.

A total of 13 Pacific island countries and territories participated.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an international agreement that commits parties to the conservation and wise use of their wetlands. There are currently five Pacific island countries that are parties to this Convention - Fiji, Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. Tonga, Niue and Kiribati are expected to join very soon.

In the Pacific, wetlands are critical to the livelihood of families and communities. They have an immense value in providing fish and other foods, as well as supply a vast range of products such as building materials, handicrafts, medicines, cosmetics and ornamentation for Pacific peoples. For our region, the conservation and wise use of wetlands is also of global significance given that they contain among the largest variety of plants and animals in the world.

This important three year action plan to conserve our wetlands will be circulated widely once it is finalised and the implementation of this plan will be carried out through coordination between national governments, SPREP and its regional and international partners.

While the new three-year plan action plan was the key outcome of the workshop, there were also other benefits that arose from the gathering.

There was the sharing of experiences and exchange of information between participants on national issues, challenges and priorities relating to the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. There is also now a better understanding of the benefits and required steps for joining the Ramsar Convention, as well as a better understanding of implementation issues, processes and procedures for the contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Further to that the participants attending were also able to learn about conservation measures, lessons and initiatives in New Caledonia and could make new contacts with French experts working in this field.