Launch of the first human rights-focused Diploma programme in the Pacific
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 | (left-right): Head of the School of Government, Development and International Affairs, Professor Vijay Naidu, SPC RRRT Programme Manager, Sandra Bernklau, Coordinator of the Diploma in Leadership, Governance and Human Rights, Natasha Khan, and RRRT’s Human Rights Curriculum Adviser, Greg Lyons, at the launch. Photo: SPC RRRT. |
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The University of the South Pacific (USP), in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Regional Rights Resources Team (SPC RRRT) launched a new Diploma in Leadership, Governance and Human Rights, on 20 February, 2013.
The undergraduate programme, which will be offered by the University, is designed for people working or volunteering in roles with a community or social development focus. It is a recognised tertiary qualification that provides a sound understanding of the principles of effective leadership and good governance.
“The road to this launch has been a long one. RRRT started the paralegal training in 1997 and only now is all of that work, knowledge, and skills finally embedded in a programme run by the premier educational institution in the region, so that everyone can have access to it,” said Sandra Bernklau, SPC RRRT Programme Manager.
“Providing these resources to the region is a big achievement on the part of both USP and SPC,” she continued.
The Coordinator of the Diploma programme at USP, Natasha Khan, said the new Diploma fills a gap in the market.
“While institutions in Australia and New Zealand offer programmes on these issues, and USP has postgraduate studies on governance, there have been no programmes at USP for people interested in leadership and human rights issues, particularly at the undergraduate level,” she added.
A total of 114 students from around the Pacific have enrolled for the Diploma programme this semester. The students will be able to study from their own countries as well as at USP’s main campus in Suva.
Speaking at the launch, Professor Vijay Naidu, Head of the School of Government, Development and International Affairs at USP, explained that the new Diploma programme is a much-needed and a useful qualification for a range of people in the Pacific, including the police and people working in legal systems, communities, civil society and faith-based organisations, as well as in movements for the rights of women and other marginalised groups.
The new Diploma aims to respond to the learning needs of people in the Pacific and it can be studied full-time or on a part-time basis. It is delivered using a distance education framework that does not rely on access to the internet and so is available to anyone.
The development of the course was made possible with the generous support of AusAID through the Pacific Leadership Programme and the Australian Volunteers International Programme.
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