SPC gives scholarships to students taking USPs community development courses Friday 30 May 2014, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva – Photo caption : Sanaila one of the student with special needs receiving the cheque on behalf of the SPC sponsored students Sixteen students have been awarded scholarships by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) to mark the transfer of the community development course from SPC to the University of the South Pacific (USP). The scholarships will enable the students to complete the qualification (either certificate or diploma) that they have enrolled in, as they cover tuition and general fees. Mrs Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu, SPC Deputy Director-General and Director of the Education, Training and Human Development Division, said that while this is being done under the memorandum of understanding between SPC and USP, there appears to be a strategic vision through the quick take-up of this SPC course by USP and an appreciation of the shared goals and responsibilities which we as regional organisations have towards a better educated, more skilled Pacific. The certificate qualification is fully accredited by Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC), according to Hasmukh Lal, Director of USP’s Centre for Vocational and Continuing Education (CVCE). This semester we had 40 new admissions – 26 females and 14 males – and a total course registration of 79. There are also two students with special needs, one of whom is supported by this scholarship, he added. We are aiming for more admissions in Semester 2; the programme is gaining momentum in the region as all courses are in fully flexible mode, he said. Mr Lal commented that the awarding of scholarships by SPC shows that, even after handing over the programme to USP, SPC still has a vested interest in the programme’s growth. SPC’s Community Education Training Centre closed last year, after providing community education to women from around the Pacific for 50 years. Of the 16 awardees, eight are enrolled in the new Certificate Level 3 in Community Development Studies under USPs CVCE. The other eight students are enrolled in the Diploma in Social and Community Work offered by the School of Social Sciences in the Faculty of Arts, Law and Education. Six of the eight undertaking the diploma programme are graduates of the SPC Community Education Training Centre. They hail from Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Samoa and Fiji. The number of males and the high enrolment in the certificate programme is an encouraging development, signifying a new chapter for the course, as the former programme targeted women only. Seven more scholarships will be available to students in Semester 2. The high enrolment is also seen in the diploma programme for Semester 1, which has a registered total of 24 students. They are from different occupations – community workers, social workers, teachers, pastors and youth leaders. USP agreed to take on the SPC community development course in late 2013. The certificate programme provides a pathway to diploma and degree programmes – especially those offered by the School of Social Sciences – as well as a pathway to the joint USP–SPC Diploma programme in Human Rights under the Faculty of Business and Economics. The new programme at CVCE and new units in the diploma programme are offered in a blended mode. This event marks just one of many collaborative initiatives undertaken by SPC and USP as part of a memorandum of understanding they signed, aiming to maximise development outcomes of their shared membership and reduce duplication and inefficiencies in their service delivery within their respective mandates. spc.int/en/component/content/article/216-about-spc-news/1661-spc-gives-scholarships-to-students-taking-usps-community-development-courses-.html
Posted on: Sun, 01 Jun 2014 23:41:38 +0000
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