“Today is not a day of achievement but a day of encouragement” those were the strong words of Ms. Mumui La‘akulu, the recipient of the certificate of achievement in environmental science. For the first time ever an award session was held to acknowledge and celebrate the success of 2017 enrolled students for the In-country Science programme held on March 29^th. Five students were awarded with certificates and cash prizes for their respective programs.

The In-country Science program began in 2017 at the USP Tonga Campus in partnership with the government of Tonga and ADB sponsors. The need for local scientists and science teachers gave birth to this program which is on its second year now. A total of 50 students are sponsored by the ADB and government while approximately 90 students have joined the program as well as private students making the largest enrollment in the region. The awards was to celebrate the journey so far in this program with the stakeholders and students.

The event was graced with the presence of the Minister of Education and Training, as the guest of honor, Hon. Penisimani Fifita who presented the awards to the recipients and encouraged students to keep persevering. Associate Professor Bibhya Sharma highlighted in his remarks that “one doesn’t have to be in Laucala to perform well and the In-country science students are doing equally well and if not better than the Laucala students”.

For many students it was a great opportunity for this program to be run in Tonga, for they were able to work, and complete their studies. Bringing the learning to their doorsteps gives chances for many of the young students to be able to complete their degree programs with a little bit of an ease for them to reach out to their dreams. The success of Tonga campus triggered many more programs similar to this in other regional campuses. And soon many more students’ dreams will be fulfilled with similar programs as this.

The USP Tonga Campus awarded twenty nine (29) of its high Grade Point Average (GPA) achievers from the three faculties and the Pacific Technical and Further Education (PacTafe) at a ceremony held at the campus grounds on Friday, 23^rd March.

Significant to its name the awards is derived from the historical ancient stones located on the eastern side of Tongatapu. The Ha'amonga 'a Maui is a gigantic construction which consists of three giant stones. Two upright stones and a stone beam uniting them.

 The breathtaking Ha‘amonga ‘a Maui has been chosen to symbolize USP Tonga Campus’ Highest GPA Awards.  Built in the 12^th century, it has withstood the test of time, a testament to the strength and the skill with which it was built.  The Ha‘amonga ‘a Maui is a tangible link from the past to the present, reminding students of much that is good about Tongan society: endurance, creativity, pride, intelligence, wisdom, discipline and respect.  

A custodian of the Ha’amonga ‘a Maui, Mrs. Tapukitea Rokolekutu, (part –time tutor, PacTafe) of Niutoua village, in her description of the ancient stone says, ‘a good education, like the Ha‘amonga, requires building on a firm foundation, enduring hardships, and by strategically using strength, skill and focus, to achieve one’s goals’, Mrs. Rokolekutu said.

The Ha’amonga Awards ceremony was a fine success with Dr. Mo’ale Otunuku of the Institute of Education (IoE) as guest of honor. The Chair of the Campus Academic Committee, Mrs. ‘Ana Heti Veikune, also welcomed students and parents with the hope that the event would include more high GPA achievers in the upcoming semesters.

One of the pioneer high achievers, Ms. Makeleta Malimali shared in her speech that in order to become a high achiever, ‘one must strike a good balance between good study habits and good friends in order to have a healthy and happy mind to study’, Ms. Malimali said.

The USP Tonga Campus students, staff, parents and families sealed the event with refreshments and a performance from the Tonga Students Association in celebration of the campus’ historical achievement.

The USP Tonga campus kicked off the golden year with its first event at the Orientation of first year students, held at the Lopaukamea Hall, for two (2) days commencing on the 31^st of January. In welcoming the new students on behalf of the Campus Director, Dr. Mo’ale Otunuku, a fellow at the Institute of Education, (IOE) encouraged students to stay focused on their studies and in doing so they would begin to write their own academic success stories. The first day also depicted a graduating student’s story. In sharing, Ms. Hepisipa Pau’u, posed her motivational theme: ‘To succeed, and never to fail’.

The second and final day highlighted the wise words “Be the boss of your brain’, by Faculty of Arts, Law and Education (FALE), Assistant Lecturer, Mrs. ‘Ana Heti Veikune. She stressed the importance of having control over your own decisions as a person and beautifully crafted a vivid picture into a jam packed Lopaukamea Hall. The 2016, 3 time gold medalist Ms. Petina Vi  also shared her story of being a student at Tonga Campus and how she soared into new heights. She advised students on prioritizing their time on important matters in life and to utilize resources the campus has to offer.

The University of the South Pacific Tonga Campus, held its final orientation on Thursday to introduce the campus to eager students joining PacTAFE, FALE, FBE and FSTE. After finishing the formal segment of the day, the students were given a campus tour by the staff and a brief session on independent learning by the student learning specialist, Mr. Peseti Vea.

The smiles and enthusiasm of students heightened as they were treated with lunch by the Campus before marking the end of orientation. As the lecture commences next week the staff of Tonga campus will strive to provide a good learning experience to these new students and many more that wish to join the ‘Api Ko Olokava.’ [Olokava the land on which the campus is located.]

The University of the South Pacific’s (USP)Tonga Campus successfully held its Open Day on 28 July, 2017 in two parts.

The first part of the celebrations was at the Annual Heilala Festival Fun Fair which included displays and information for members of the public, an event which attracted close to a thousand people.

Ms Betty Manuofetoa, Teaching Assistant at USP Tonga Campus said there was an overwhelming response and generally the most frequently asked question was whether students can complete their studies in-country.

The second part of the Open Day, named ‘Katoa ki Olokava was more student focused where a total of seven (7) schools participated.

Schools that attended the Open Day included Tonga High School; Beulah College; Liahona High School; Tailulu College;  GPS Pea;  GPS Tokomololo and Footsteps Kindergarten, resulting in an approximate number of 129 participants.

The ‘Katoa ki Olokava’ event was organized as a journey of the facilities, staff and programmes offered at the Tonga Campus where students and members of the public had to go through ten (10) checkpoints with their tour guides.

There were displays by the Faculty of Arts, Law and Education(FALE), Pacific Technical and Further Education (Pacific TAFE), Faculty of Business and Economics(FBE), Information Technology Services (ITS) and the Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment (FSTE).

According to Ms Manuofetoa, majority of the students and members of the public commended USP for its role in the region and urged the University to keep up the good work.

The USP Ha’apai Centre Staff and students hosted their Open day week on a high note with Student learning skills workshops running from Tuesday 8^th to Friday 11^th August. Ha’apai Centre Co-ordinator Ms. Talei Ulufonua said that both her team and students were thankful for Student Learning Specialist, Mr. Peseti Vea’s visit.  ‘Students and parents were able to clearly understand what the Grade Point Average (GPA) is and enjoyed the lecture and sharing’, Mrs. Ulufonua said.

Students and visitors were ushered and shown around the classrooms and facilities of the center to which they enjoyed. Guests were also served with refreshments prepared by the Student association.

Centre Co-ordinator Ms. Ulufonua, thanked the Acting Campus Director for her continuous support and also campus SLS for his visionary insights to the parents and students of USP Ha’apai centre.  Students who attended returned with more knowledge about the USP programmes and courses provided to them by the centre staff

Mr. Peseti Vea, the newly inducted Tonga Campus Student Learning Specialist, also represented the Acting Director, Tonga campus, Dr. Seu’ula Johansson- Fua at the Ha’apai Open day to which he termed was a success. The Open day was divided into two sessions with the first session being a dialogue with parents about the University’s expectations of their children and also the services provided at the SLS office.  The second part was the official Open day, where four (4) schools were represented namely; Ha’apai High School, Taufa’ahau Pilolevu College, Tailulu College and ‘Ofa Mo’oni College.

The Guest of Honour at the event was Taufa’ahau Pilolevu College Principal, also USP Masters of Business Administration (MBA) alumni Reverend Taniela Manuofetoa. Also present at the ceremony was Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Pastor, Reverend Pomana Fungavaka, who officiated the welcoming prayer.