A new educational institute geared to the many unemployed youth in Samoa is about to open its doors.
“What do young people do when they finish school?”
This was a question asked of her parents, Pulotu Arthur and Maretta by young Talei Solomon when she was in Samoa as a Catholic volunteer in the late 1990’s.
The answer she got was that many simply return to their villages.
That answer is one of the reasons the Martin Hautus Institute is now establishing itself in Samoa and will officially open after Easter.
The Institute targets school leavers over 15 and mature people looking for jobs, according to Pulotu.
At the heart of their programme is jobs, says Pulotu, one of the founders and directors.
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“A politician was quoted as saying that those who return to their villages may be as high as 1,000 each year.”
In comparison with other tertiary institutes, M.H.I.’s point of difference is that they incorporate a work experience component into their programme with a view to employment at the successful completion of their certificates or diplomas.
Situated at Tiapapata off the Cross Island Road, the Institute is housed in a series of Samoan-style fales, which encompass an office, classrooms, a computer centre, a kitchen and accommodation for Pulotu and Arthur. Plans are in place for further development.
“We bought here in 2007,” said Pulotu, and “have been working on this project over the past years. We have been in contact with the Prime Minister who is very excited about our plans.
He said, ‘We need something like this’ and wrote a supportive letter for us to show to the Minister and C.E.O. at the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture as well as the Corrections Services.
“Maretta wrote up our idea asking for support from business leaders for the work experience and we have approached about 15 of them.
Already we have had very positive feedback from them.” In New Zealand, Pulotu and co-Founder and Director, Maretta say they have had contracts with the New Zealand government for the past 25 years. “Seventy per cent of our students in New Zealand end up in employment or choose to do further studies,” he said.
| HISTORY OF MARTIN HAUTUS INSTITUTE |
Martin Hautus Institute, The Pacific Peoples Learning Institute, was established by Pulotu Arthur and Maretta Solomon in 1990, who saw the divide in education for school leavers (who did not gain university entrance) and also mature learners. They started with five students in Mangere, South Auckland just over 23 years ago and today have two campuses (Mangere and Onehunga) and a student body, which annually numbers over 300. MHI is a category 1 establishment and in 2011 was given a “highly confident” rating by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for both self assessment and education outcomes during their Education Evaluation. The Directors both were born in the Pacific (Pulotu in Fiji and Maretta in Samoa) and know the reality and importance of education especially in the lives of young Pacific Island people. They came to New Zealand in the late 1960ʹs and have been passionate about education both teaching and studying the New Zealand curriculum. A proud achievement of theirs is graduating from the Massey University with Bachelors in (Adult) Education in 2004. A feat to admire also is their five children followed suit with degrees and post graduate studies in their respective areas. Martin Hautus is named after two of Mr Solomon’s close colleagues during his 21 years of teaching at De La Salle College. John Martin was a disciplinarian who was meant to spend two terms at the college but stayed for 10. Brother Matthew Hautus was a Lasallian Brother who was keen on education and a scholar.These two men hold a special place in the hearts of our directors and Martin Hautus Institute remembers them. |
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