Motufoua Secondary School

Motufoua Secondary School
Location
Vaitupu, Tuvalu
Coordinates	7°29′24″S 178°41′37″E / 7.49000°S 178.69361°E / -7.49000; 178.69361Coordinates: 7°29′24″S 178°41′37″E / 7.49000°S 178.69361°E / -7.49000; 178.69361
Information
Type	boarding school
Denomination	Church of Tuvalu
Established	1905
Headmaster	Siautele Lito[1]
Gender	boys and girls school

Motufoua Secondary School is boarding school for boys and girls on Vaitupu atoll.^[2][3] As Tuvalu consists of 9 atolls the students reside on Vaitupu during the school year and return to their home islands during the school vacations. Vaitupu received worldwide attention in March 2000, when a fire in a dormitory at the Motufoua school killed 18 girls and an adult supervisor. It was later discovered that the fire was caused by a student using a candle to read during the night.^[4][5] The School celebrated 100 years of education in 2005.^[6][7] In 2009 the student roll at Motufoua Secondary School was 550.^[8]

Establishment of the School

Motufoua Secondary School Office

The London Missionary Society (LMS) established a primary school at Motufoua on Vaitupu in 1905. The purpose was to prepare young men for entry into the LMS seminary in Samoa. This school evolved into the Motufoua Secondary School. The primary school called Elisefou (New Ellice) moved to Vaitupu in 1923 and closed in 1953 when the government primary school was established. The government primary school on Vaiputu is called Tolise.^[9] The activities of the LMS were taken over by the Church of Tuvalu.

From 1905 to 1963 Motufoua only admitted students from Church of Tuvalu schools. From the date the school was established until 1916 the Ellice Islands were administered as British protectorate by a Resident Commissioner, based in the Gilbert Islands, as part of the British Western Pacific Territories (BWPT), and from 1916 to 1974 the Ellice Islands was administered as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony.

In 1963 the Church of Tuvalu and the administration of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony began to co-operate in providing education and students were enrolled from government schools. In 1970 a secondary school for girls was opened at Motufoua.^[10] In 1974, the Ellice Islanders voted for separate British dependency status as Tuvalu, separating from the Gilbert Islands, which became Kiribati. The following year the Tuvaluan students that attended school on Tarawa were transferred to Motufoua. From 1975 the Church of Tuvalu and the government jointly administered the School.^[10] Eventually administration of Motufoua became the sole responsibility of the Department of Education of Tuvalu.

Principals of the School

Reverend Sir Filoimea Telito, GCMG, MBE started out as a teacher at Motufoua. After completing theological studies, he returned to Motufoua to serve as Pastor. Later he became Principal of Motufoua, then in April 2005 he was appointed to be the Governor-General of Tuvalu.^[11]

The current Principal is Siautele Lito.^[1] The previous Principal was Lapana Ene.^[12]

Motufoua as a government school

Motufoua Secondary School is located in Saniuta

Vaitupu Island

Motufoua Secondary School is now operated by the government of Tuvalu, while still retaining a connection with the Church of Tuvalu through the use of the Motufoua School Church and with a chaplain as a member of the staff of the School.^[13] The students attend church services at the Motufoua School Church.^[14]

The fire on 9 March 2000 was a traumatic event within the School and for Tuvalu and raised questions as to fire safety equipment and training and security practices in the dormitories at the School.^[15] A memorial service was held the following year in memory of the eighteen school girls and their matron who tragically lost their lives.^[16] Tuvaluan leaders as well as parents of the victims attended the memorial service. The Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau also commemorated the event.^[17]

The pupil-teacher ratio for secondary education is 25:1 (2001/02).^[18] Motufoua offers Forms 3‐6, with the students studying for the Fiji Junior Certificate (FJC) at Year 10, Tuvaluan Certificate at Year 11 and the Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate at Year 12,^[19] which is set by the Fiji-based exam board SPBEA.^[20]

Sixth form students who pass their Pacific Secondary School Certificate (PSSC) go on to the Augmented Foundation Programme, funded by the government of Tuvalu.^[21] This program is required for tertiary education programmes outside of Tuvalu and is available at the University of the South Pacific (USP) Extension Centre in Funafuti. In 2009 a vocational stream at Year 12 was introduced at Motufoua. The vocational stream provides training for students that do not intend to go on to tertiary education.^[8]

Education in the 21st Century

Motufoua Secondary School has a central role in the development of Tuvalu. The education strategy is described in the national strategy plan Te Kakeega II as being that “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.”^[22]

The school staff include Tuvaluan teachers and teachers from other countries. The vision for the School is that “Culture, faith and education are the foundation” with the education mission being “to provide an excellent, relevant and accessibly 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 drive our strength from being the only Government Secondary School.”^[23]

Motufoua has limited library facilities and the school has limited numbers of computers.^[24] In 2011 the School offered a course in computer studies for the first time. In 2012 the School offered the Certificate IV in Information Technology through a franchise program from the Fiji National University.^[25]

Atufenua Maui and educators from Japan have worked on the implementation of an e-learning pilot system for Motufoua Secondary School that applies the Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle).^[26] The e-learning system is intended to benefit students at Motufoua Secondary School and to provide computer skills to students who will enter the tertiary level of education outside Tuvalu.^[27]

Environmental sustainability

In 2010 what was described as the largest diesel-solar photovoltaic (PV) hybrid electricity system in the South Pacific was installed at the School.^[28] This hybrid electricity system results in the School being supplied by a solar system during the day and by a diesel generator at night. This hybrid system is part of government policy to increase the use of renewable energy sources. Prior to the installment of the system the School relied upon a diesel powered generator, which needed to be turned off during the night. The hybrid system systems saves thousands of dollars in diesel costs and provides the School with a 24-hour supply of energy, with up to 200 kW per day.^[29]

Development of Motufoua Secondary School funded by Japan

Japan has assisted with the development of Motufoua Secondary School. In 1996 Japanese assistance to the School overcome the problems associated with shortage of facilities include building classrooms, dormitories, special classrooms, dining hall and kitchen. In 2011 Japan provided assistance through its Grant Aid scheme to build 12 new classrooms, dormitories for boys and girls, and a gymnasium. In addition, the existing buildings previously funded by Japan were also renovated.^[30] The new facilities funded by Japan also include a multi-purpose hall, tennis, volleyball & basketball courts and procurement of library, medical, administration, kitchen and computer equipment.^[31]

References