Students to benefit from new facilities at USP Cook Islands Campus
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 | (left - right): The Vice-Chancellor and President of USP, Professor Rajesh Chandra, AusAID’s Minister-Counsellor based in Suva, Mr John Davidson, Cook Islands Minister of Finance Honourable Mark Brown and the Cook Islands Minister of Education, Honourable Teina Bishop.
Insert: Part of the guests at the opening ceremony. |
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Students studying at the University of the South Pacific’s Cook Islands campus can now look forward to better and improved learning experience following an upgrade to the campus in Rarotonga worth NZ$600,000.
The new extension to the existing campus includes a conference room, a computer lab as well as a furnished reception area. The project was funded through the incentive funding provided by AusAID.
The extension was officially opened on 27 August 2012, by the Vice-Chancellor and President of USP, Professor Rajesh Chandra, Cook Islands Minister of Education, Honourable Teina Bishop and AusAID’s Minister-Counsellor based in Suva, Mr John Davidson.
During the opening ceremony, Professor Chandra thanked Australia for providing the funding as well as the Government of Cook Islands for its continuing support of the University.
He said that the extension was a timely one as the University had a physical presence in the Cook Islands since 1975 occupying the same premises for the past 35 years.
Professor Chandra said “whereas it took 30 years to produce the first 100 USP Cook Islands graduates, more than 200 students have graduated in-country at the USP Cook Islands campus over the past 10 years.”
The Vice-Chancellor further remarked that “USP recognizes the fact that it has been undergoing rapid renewal both in Suva, around the region and in the Cook Islands. In the Cook Islands, this renewal commenced with the delivery of an increasing number of degree programs in-country. These degree programs have been targeted to meet national training needs and have been focussed, primarily on education, economics, accountancy, business administration, hotel management, diplomacy and international affairs, agriculture and information systems.”
Currently students in the outer islands comprise 30 percent of USP Cook Islands enrolments - a number which is proportionate to outer islanders’ representation in the national population.
Professor Chandra also acknowledged the good work done by Campus Director, Mr Rod Dixon and Mr Tevai Matapo, OBE, Chair, USP Cook Islands Advisory Committee and thanked them for their excellent effort in ensuring that USP serves the interests of the Cook Islanders in the area of higher education.
Honourable Teina Bishop paid tribute to the University for its on-going work in capacity building and higher education for Pacific states.
He was very pleased to see that the University (which he fondly referred to as the University of the Special People of the region) was offering an increasing number of professional qualifications in-country such as the Masters in Business Administration; and an increasing number of other post graduate programs.
The Minster further said that USP has contributed greatly to the development of Cook Islands.
“It provides opportunity to students to study while working. They don’t even have to leave the country and their families; and it also provides cost effective and quality education.”
In his remarks, Mr John Davidson said that Australia was pleased to provide assistance towards the extension of the campus.
Australia has supported USP since its establishment in 1968. It recognizes that USP, as a Pacific regional organization, has an important role to play in the development of the Pacific. The extension has been provided in recognition of the important role the University plays in the development of human capacity in the Cook Islands as well as throughout the University’s 12 member countries.
Mr Davidson remarked that “the facility will help to enrich the study experience of students undertaking their studies here and contribute both to the development of in-country tertiary education and the further development of the Cook Islands.”
As well as annually sponsoring around 400 students from the region to study at USP, Mr Davidson said that the Australian Government will further assist in the development of USP regional campuses to assist students to study in their home countries.
He added that Australia is very pleased to learn of the high numbers of student graduating in-country and the increasing number of students undertaking professional and academic post graduate qualifications in-country.
The Minister of Finance Honourable Mark Brown also spoke on behalf of the Government and said that being an alumnus of University by obtaining his MBA not too long ago, he was grateful to the University as it allows students to study while employed and without leaving the country.
Honourable Mark Brown said that his Government supports the direction USP is taking in serving the region in terms of providing high quality and accessible higher education as well as assisting the Pacific which is highly important and critical to the region.
He challenged USP to work with Cook Islands Ministry of Education to help assist school leavers to obtain tertiary education.
The opening was attended by Honorable Ministers for Education, Finance and Health, members of the Aronga Mana, church leaders, members of Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, Chair and members of the USP Cook Islands Advisory Committee, Campus Director and staff, media representatives, alumni, USPSA representatives, educators, and students.
The Vice- Chancellor was accompanied by the Director, Development, Marketing and Communications, who were both in Rarotonga attending the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meetings.
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