Motufoua Secondary School

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Motufoua Secondary School is a boarding school for children on Vaitupu Atoll in the island state of Tuvalu and the largest high school in the country. It was founded in 1905 by the London Missionary Society (LMS) and can now accommodate around 550 students.

history

Motufoua Secondary School office

The London Missionary Society (LMS) founded a primary school in Motufoua on Vaitupu in 1905 to make it possible for young men to be prepared for their admission to the LMS seminary in Samoa . From these beginnings the Motufoua Secondary School developed.

Later, the work of the LMS was taken over by the Ekalesia Kelisiano Tuvalu (Church of Tuvalu). From 1905 to 1963, Motufoua only accepted students from other schools in the Church of Tuvalu. In 1963 the Church of Tuvalu and the administration of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony began to cooperate. Since then, students from state schools have also been accepted. In 1970 a secondary school for girls was opened in Motufoua.

In 1974 the residents of the Ellice Islands voted for a status as a separate British dependency Tuvalu and thus also separated from the Gilbert Islands , which became independent as Kiribati . The following year the Tuvalu students who had attended school on Tarawa were transferred to Motufoua. From 1975 the Church of Tuvalu and the government jointly administered the school. Ultimately, the school administration passed entirely to the Department of Education of Tuvalu .

State school

Motufoua Secondary School in the Saniuta area.
Vaitupu Island

Motufoua Secondary School is now run by the government of Tuvalu. The connection with the Church of Tuvalu is maintained by keeping the Motufoua School Church in use and by having a chaplain member of the school staff. Students attend services at Motufoua School Church. The school celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005.

Fire

The school attracted international attention in March 2000 when 18 girls and one guardian were killed in a fire on March 9 in a school dormitory. It was later determined that the fire was started by a student who used a candle to read during the night. The traumatic event raised questions about fire safety and disaster training and safety practices in the dormitories. A memorial service was held on the anniversary of the following year. Prominent Tuvaluans and parents of the victims attended the service together. A commemorative stamp was issued by the Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau .

Opetaia Foa'i from the band Te Vaka wrote the song “ Loimata E Maligi ” (lit. Let the tears fall). In 2016 the song was rewritten as "An Innocent Warrior" for the Walt Disney film Vaiana .

Development with the help of Japan

Japan supports the Motufoua Secondary School. As early as 1996, with Japanese support, the school's classrooms, dormitories, canteen and kitchen were built.

In 2011, Japan again offered assistance through the Grant Aid Scheme , whereupon twelve new classrooms, dormitories and a gymnasium (sports hall) were built. These buildings also offer space for administration, hospital rooms and a library. In addition, the old buildings were renovated.

School curriculum

The school teaches English, math, chemistry, physics, biology, agriculture, history, geography, accounting, economics, design technology, timber construction, home economics, computer science, and commerce.

The student-to-teacher ratio for secondary education is 25: 1 (2001/02). Motufoua provides the steps 3-6, and the students are preparing for the tenth school year to the Fiji Junior Certificate (FJC) before, in the eleventh year of the Tuvaluan Certificate and the Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate of SPBEA from Fiji in the twelfth year.

Grade 6 students who pass their Pacific Secondary School Certificate (PSSC) can participate in the Augmented Foundation Program sponsored by the Tuvalu government. This program is compulsory for students who wish to pursue their studies outside Tuvalu and is offered at the Extension Center of the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Funafuti .

In 2009 a vocational stream was introduced in the 12th year. The training program provides hands-on training for students who are not pursuing further education.

Educational goals

Motufoua Secondary School plays a central role in the development of Tuvalu. The education strategy is set out in the National Strategic Plan Te Kakeega II .

The teaching staff includes local and foreign teachers. The school vision says “Culture, faith and education are the foundation”.

Motufoua has limited library access and a limited number of computers. In 2011 the school offered a course in computer techniques for the first time. The Certificate IV in Information Technology was already offered in 2012 with the help of a franchise program from Fiji National University .

Atufenua Maui and teachers from Japan have introduced an e-learning pilot system for Motufoua, which uses the Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment ( Moodle ).

sustainability

In 2010 the largest diesel - photovoltaic hybrid electricity (PV) system in the South Pacific was installed at the school. This system provides solar power during the day and electricity from a diesel generator at night. This hybrid system is part of a government program to expand renewable energies . Before there was only one diesel generator that was only operated during the day. The new one saves fuel and provides energy with up to 200 kW per day around the clock.

Personalities

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Tuvalu: A Situational Analysis of Children, Women and Youth - Part 2: Services and Opportunities . UNICEF Pacific Office, Fiji. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  2. ↑ a b Robert Keith-Reid: Schoolgirls in horror blaze . The Independent (London). March 10, 2000. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  3. ↑ 19 The In Tuvalu Dormitory Blaze . CBS news (US). March 10, 2000. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  4. ↑ a b Eneke Sapoaga, Hugh Laracy (ed.): Ch. 19 'Post-War Development' . In: Tuvalu A History . University of the South Pacific / Government of Tuvalu, 1976.
  5. ^ Motufoua School Church: Religious Building near Saniuta . Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  6. ^ Monise Laafai: Motufoua School, 100th Anniversary, 1905-2005 . Monise Laafai. October 2005. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  7. ↑ 100 Tausaga Motufoua - 'Pepese Ia i le Pese' . Video on YouTube sung & performed by Fagogo Malipolipo. February 14, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  8. ^ A b Martin Johnston: Student to blame for Tuvalu fire . In: New Zealand Herald . June 30, 2000. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  9. ↑ Marica Seluka: Motufoua Fire Tragedy - The Story from Tuvalu . Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau Newsletter / Tuvalu Online. March 2000. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  10. ↑ Jane Resture: Photographs taken by Clive Smith at the Motufoua Memorial Service 9th March 2001 . March 2001. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  11. ^ Tuvalu to Issue Stamps for Motufoua Fire Victims . Tuvalu Online. February 27, 2001. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  12. ↑ Speech by HE Yutaka Yoshizawa, Ambassador of Japan at Funafuti, Tuvalu on the Occasion of the Signing and Exchange of Notes for the Grant Aid Project for Improvement of Education Facilities at Motofoua Secondary School in Tuvalu . Embassy of Japan in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. August 24, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  13. ↑ Press Release No: 32/2010: Embassy of Japan in the Republic of the Fiji Islands, Japan Provides Assistance to the Government of Tuvalu (the Project for Improvement of Education Facilities at Motufoua Secondary School) . Embassy of Japan in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. August 23, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  14. ^ Education for All 2015 National Review: Tuvalu . World Education Forum. May 22, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  15. ^ Researching Virtual Initiatives in Education (Tuvalu) . Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  16. ^ Basic Education (Tuvalu) . UNESCO Bangkok. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  17. ↑ New disciplinary policy for Motufoua High School . tuvalu-news.tv. October 27, 2006. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  18. ↑ "by 2015, guided by strong spiritual values ​​enshrined in its motto .... TUVALU MO TE ATUA .... we will have achieved a healthy, educated, peaceful and prosperous Tuvalu." Te Kakeega II - National Strategies for Sustainable Development 2005-2015 . Government of Tuvalu. 2005. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Education mission: to provide an excellent, relevant and accessible secondary education and training on the strong base of practical application of knowledge and skills. We have a special responsibility of maintaining culture and tradition. We derive our strength from being the only Government Secondary School. ” Mission Statement . Motufoua Secondary School. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  20. ↑ KP Taloka, VA Tovia: Improving library capacity to support students 'and teachers' learning and teaching: the experience at Motufoua Secondary School, Tuvalu. In: P. Puamau & B. Hau'ofa (hgg-): Best Practice in Pacific Education. PRIDE Pacific Education Series No.9, 2010: 190-204. Institute of Education, University of the South Pacific, Suva.
  21. ^ Certificate IV in Information Technology . Motufoua Secondary School. October 11, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  22. ↑ Atufenua Maui: Motufoua e-learning . Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  23. ↑ Atufenua Maui, Tony Kwato'o, Ronald Vetter, Yoshifumi Chisaki, Tsuyoshi Usagawa: Preliminary Use of an E-learning Pilot System for Secondary Educational Institutions in Tuvalu: The Initial Implementation. June 2012, International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning, Vol. 2, No. 3.
  24. ↑ Motufoua Secondary School solar project - Battery buffered, grid parallel PV solar system . EcoGeneration. May – June 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  25. ^ Off-grid power supply for Motufoua Secondary School . SMA Solar Technology. 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  26. ^ State Funeral of the late former Governor General of Tuvalu, Reverend Sir Filoimea Telito, GCMG, MBE . Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau Newsletter (TPB: 01/2011). July 25, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  27. ^ Principal of Motufoua Secondary School . PATVET Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Retrieved November 20, 2012.

Coordinates: 7 ° 29 ′ 24 ″  S , 178 ° 41 ′ 37 ″  E