Universities emphasize local education – Cook Islands News

The University of the South Pacific Cook Islands yesterday opened its doors to 100 final year students from Tereora College at an open day to highlight the various academic opportunities available at the local campus.

Campus director Dr Debi Futter-Puati said most people were not aware of the range of education the university offered and that it was ranked in the top 10% of universities worldwide.

Ford-Puati also stressed that students do not have to leave their families to study abroad, but can obtain the same degrees, including a bachelor of education, right here in Rarotonga.

“This is our first open day of 2024 and we will have another open day later this year. We are simply opening the university to students from the community and Tereora College so they can see the range of degrees that USP offers,” she said.

“We had a hundred students from Tereora here this morning (yesterday) and some community members.”

Apii Avarua teacher Rangi Mariri, who will graduate next year after completing a Bachelor of Education at the University of the South Pacific Cook Islands, spoke to the students about her experiences as a student and the challenges she faced and overcame.

There is also a group made up of students who have completed degrees in Business, Economic Statistics, Law and Pacific Policing, as well as students currently studying for a Bachelor of Information Systems.

The group, made up of students from every island, aims to show university students that a USP education is accessible to everyone, no matter which island they live on.

“Some of the students we spoke to yesterday morning were elite athletes, mothers, and our law graduates who have six children, and we wanted to make sure that these students understand that they don’t have to leave the Cook Islands to go to school,” Ford-Puati added.

Jana Moemai, a 17-year-old student from Tereora College, said she was inspired by the open day, especially the speeches by former and current USP students.

“We were here last year and I really enjoyed the people who spoke today, they were really inspiring and they shared their experiences so well and even though they had a lot to do and were under a lot of pressure, they just pursued their goals,” she said.

When asked about her life goals and whether she would consider furthering her studies at USP, Moemai said she would love to, although she is unsure about her future career path.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be, but I really wanted to get a business degree because business was my area of ​​expertise,” she said.

USP offers courses in finance, economics, accounting, marine science, arts, history, Cook Islands Maori, education, geography, Pacific studies, law, climate change, social work, counselling, politics, development, fisheries and more.

USP is the only international university on the island providing tertiary education together with the Cook Islands Tertiary Education and Training Institute (CITTI).