| Tupou College Toloa | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| Toloa, Tongatapu , P.O. Box 4, Toloa, Tongatapu, Tonga |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public School / Church owned |
| Motto | Tongan: 'Ko Tonga Mo'unga Ki He Loto' Tonga's Strength-hold is its Heart |
| Denomination | Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga |
| Established | 1866 |
| Founder | Rev James Egan Moulton |
| Principal | Rev.Dr.Fisi'ihoi Mone |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 935 (2011) |
| Average class size | 25 |
| Medium of language | Tongan, English |
| Hours in school day | 7 |
| Classrooms | 21 |
| Colour(s) | Blue, White and Black |
| Nickname | Vaota Koula/ The Golden Forest |
| Website | http://www.tct.to |
Tupou College is a Methodist boys' secondary boarding school in Toloa on the island of Tongatapu, Tonga.It is located on the Eastern District of Tongatapu near the village of Malapo. The school is owned by the Free Weslyan Church of Tonga. Established in 1866 by James Egan Moulton, it claims to be the oldest secondary school in the Pacific Islands. Enrolment is some 1,000 pupils. Tupou College was first established at Nuku'alofa at the location on which Queen Salote College stands today. From there it moved to Nafualu, Sia'atoutai on the site where Sia'atoutai Theological College now stands. In 1948, the school last moved to Toloa in the Eastern District of Tongatapu where it still stands today.
Missionary A. Harold Wood was Principal from 1924 to 1937, during which time the school expanded from 30 students to almost 400. The first Tongan principal of the school was Rev. Sione Siupeli Taiamoni Taliai who was principal from 1970-1979.
The College has a 750-acre (3.0 km2) campus, on which crops of vegetables and fruit are grown. This includes an area of forest noted in Tonga as the Toloa Rainforest Reserve containing a variety of plant species endemic to Tonga as well as those no longer found in other parts of the kingdom. The forest is far smaller in size today then when they first moved there because of the construction of the airport, University of the Nations at Lafalafa and clearance for extra farmland. Tree planting projects have been carried out in the previous years within the forest to ensure the survival and continuous growth of the unique species found at Toloa.[1]
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The school trains students in Christian discipleship through programs of worship, study, work and recreation. They stay within the campus from Saturdays to Fridays. All students are required to stay within the campus; the only exception being those possessing medical problems and difficulties.
The normal routine involves school from 8:45am till 3:00pm, work in the school gardens till 5:00pm with further extra hours of study from 7:00pm till 9:00pm. The boys sleep from 9:30pm to 6:30. The school focuses on the discipline of students to prepare them for life as men in the modern Tongan society. The school treats all students equally though the Tongan culture states that nobles and royals must be treated with special respect.
School grades are from forms 1-7 (Year 7-13) including two technical classes where students learn engineering, motor repair, carpentry, metalwork,electrical engineering and art & design.
Students are also required to make some from a variety of Tongan Handicrafts including: polished coconut shells( for kava drinking ) and kafa (waist ropes to hold ta'ovala). It is from this that students learn the art,traditional skills, and culture of Tonga also benefiting the school as it is sold in the college's annual bazaar.
As most schools in Tonga do, Tupou College follows the curriculum of the Tongan Ministry of Education which is based on the New Zealand Curriculum. Technical classes also offer courses where students can continue in New Zealand giving them a better opportunity for a better career in the future.
Tupou College has a magazine published annually to record events and participation in the school. It is known as the "Ko e Havea Magazine".
Before 1970, all of Tupou College's principals were Australian and were assigned to work in Tonga as missionaries. It was only in 1970 that Tupou College received its first Tongan principal, Rev. Siupeli T. Taliai, who served as principal for nine years; from 1970-1979.
| Principal | Years |
|---|---|
| Rev.Dr.James Egan Moulton | 1866-1888 |
| Rev.James Egan Moulton Jr | 1895-1905 |
| Rev. Charles P. Walkden Brown | 1906-1908 |
| Rev.Rodger C.G. Page | 1909-1915 |
| Rev.Dr.E.E.V.Collocott | 1916-1923 |
| Rev.Dr.Alfred Harold Wood | 1924-1937 |
| Rev.Cecil F. Grimble | 1939-1943 |
| Rev.Eban.E.V. Newman | 1944-1947 |
| Rev. Ronald A.W. Woodgate | 1948-1951 |
| Rev. Howard W. Secomb | 1951-1963 |
| Rev. John Sutton | 1964-1967 |
| Rev. Siupeli T. Taliai | 1970-1979 |
| Rev. Dr. Tevita Tongamohenoa Puloka | 1980-1984 |
| Rev. David Mills | 1985-1989 |
| Rev. Sione Hikaione Fonua | 1990-1994 |
| Rev.Dr.'Asinate Samate | 1995 |
| Rev.Siosaia Pele | 1996-1997 |
| Rev.Dr.Tevita Hala Palefau | 1998-2001 |
| Rev.Dr.'Asinate Samate | 2002-2003 |
| Rev. Tu'ipulotu Malakai Pomana | 2003-2004 |
| Rev.Dr.Fisi'ihoi Mone | 2005- |
The campus has 12 dormitories for the boys to stay in. These dormitories are each named after major contributors to the Free Wesleyan Church noted for the work they've done in the upbringing of Christianity in Tonga. They are:
Tukuʻaho Memorial Museum/ Ko e Misiume Fakamanatu ʻO Tukuʻaho is a small museum in the campus which houses many important Tongan artifacts given to the museum by the Tongan royal family as well as artifacts showing the history of the college. Admission is free and visitors may contact the school to visit as the museum is only open by appointment.[3]
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