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EcoCARE Pacific Trust - Education

The development of local capacity through education, mentoring and supervision plays a significant role in the ongoing sustainable development of nations. To that end EcoCARE Pacific Trust facilitates, participates and initiates projects and programs that compliment and expand on the already excellent work being done by the varying Pacific Education Ministries. We are involved with resource acquisition, high school science competitions, tertiary scholarships, establishing remote learning for undergraduate degree courses, developing postgraduate and postdoctoral projects supervised by UC staff and we are involved in negotiations between NZ universities and the NZ government to offer Pacific Island students domestic fees instead of having them pay international fees.

Resource acquisition

There are immense resources available for education and EcoCARE is involved in acquiring and transporting these to schools:

• Computers: 204 computers transported to Tonga and distributed throughout high schools in Tonga
• Books: 6,000 books to schools in Tonga
• Stationary: 1.3 million sheets of A4 printer paper distributed to schools throughout Tonga
• Laboratory facilities:10 microscopes, pH meters and sundry items

High School Science Competition

The UC/EcoCARE National Science Competition was established in 2008 with the Ministry of Education in Tonga. The introduction of this competition is designed to; encourage teachers and students to participate in the sciences, to stimulate scientific excellence and to offer interested parties the opportunity to informally assess the capacity of students in Tonga.

• Guide: Offers students and teachers suggestions for projects, examples of report writing, citation and reference listing format.
• Assessment: Is carried out by UC staff
• Prizes: include school resources like microscopes, computers and dictionaries, pens and certificates

Competition Project Ideas & Science Writing Skills
The 2010 University of Canterbury/EcoCARE Pacific Trust National Science Competition

University of Canterbury, College of Science Pacific Scholarship

The UC, CoS Pacific Scholarship was established in 2009 and will be offered again 2010. EcoCARE was instrumental in facilitating the establishment of this scholarship and is in the process of negotiating matching scholarships from the College of Engineering and the College of Arts. Giving Pacific Island students access to New Zealand tertiary institutions so that they are able to benefit from high quality facilities and have access to globally recognized academics and researchers is a significant component to the development of local capacity. EcoCARE negotiated sponsorship from Campus Living Villages for 4.5 years of free accommodation and Bridging Programs has offered half fees for scholarship winners.

External funding is required to supplement the CoS, Pacific Scholarship and these funds should come from industry, individuals, organisations and the Government of Tonga allowing more students to participate in the ongoing development of Tonga and other Pacific nations.

Remote Learning

EcoCARE is facilitating the establishment of a remote learning node in Tonga with UC, Continuing and Bridging Programmes and the Ministry of Education in Tonga. Utilization of high end communications technologies is one way that island nations can participate in accessing expert knowledge and educational initiatives through courses that are able to be taught in one location and transmitted to numerous others so that students throughout the Pacific are able to access high quality tertiary education.

Off-campus remote learning nodes are being trialed in Tonga during July 2009 with the view that UC on campus courses will be introduced in Tonga during 2001 through one of a variety of digital network data managing packages. A pilot study is being run in Tonga in July 2009 to identify the capacity of Tonga to cope with high end data transfer for the purpose of teaching Foundation Studies courses in Tonga in 2010. If this program is successful there is every likelihood that UC will run theoretical undergraduate courses in Tonga and other Pacific and Asian countries.

Research collaborations have been established with the Government and people of Tonga through the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health. UC researchers are prepared and interested in developing projects and programs that investigate issues in Tonga and develop local capacity through offering postgraduate degrees to Tongan students. Parts of these research projects could utilise the Remote Learning facility.