Government-owned Samoa College is about to undergo certain, major management changes.
It's understood that management is being handed over to the Samoa College Old Pupils Association (S.C.O.P.A.), whose intention is to turn the school into a private institution.
Yesterday, confirmation came from the chaiman of S.C.O.P.A., Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi, in a phone interview.
<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>
Lealailepule said that the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, as part of their long term plans, wanted to change the name of the school to Vaivase College.
“This would create equal educational opportunities for all students,” he said.
And Samoa College is not the only secondary institution facing changes.
He also said that there was another college which faced similar negotiations and that the school’s old pupils’ association have also been given the go ahead by M.E.S.C. to operate and manage it.
“Negotiations between the Ministry and the S.C.O.P.A. Executive, has resulted in an agreement to give us the chance to take over the management and run the school,” “The current Executive has accepted the offer to work together with M.E.S.C. to take this step.”
“Consultations are continuing but by midyear or the end of the year, that will all be [officially] confirmed including the structure.
“So that come next year, this will all be in place.
“We (S.C.O.P.A) are keen to take over particularly by making it a charter school.”
Lealailepule said the Parent and Teachers Association (P.T.A.) will also be involved.
“The government will still be assisting but S.C.O.P.A. has been given the opportunity to assist and try to lift the standard of the college as well as retain its name.”
The opportunity also means that there will be “more resources” available for the students to use in their studies and learning, he said.
Lealailepule also took the opportunity to commend M.E.S.C. for the opportunity.
He said that the P.T.A. and former students will be notified of a meeting next month to discuss this important step in the history of the school.
Samoa College is a coeducational secondary school that was established in 1953 at Vaivase. The early college and curriculum was modeled on secondary schools in New Zealand reflecting the country’s colonial history.
According to Wikipedia the college was officially opened on 2 October by the then New Zealand Minister of Education, Charles E Beeby.
A charter school is a school that receives public funding but operates independently of the established public school system it is located in.
Charter schools are an example of alternative education.
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}