The young are our future – and education is the key to unlocking their potential and future prosperity, both for them and for the Cook Islands as a whole, writes Prime Minister Mark Brown.

Kia orana,

It was Nelson Mandela who said, “education is the key to moving forward in any society”. He also said that “education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world”.

I was reminded of these words when attending the graduation ceremony held for our students from the University of the South Pacific and Centre of Excellence in Information Technology recently.

It was of course a very happy occasion, as we came together to not only celebrate the achievements of the graduates, but also to acknowledge the support from their families and communities that helped make those achievements possible.

It takes many hours of dedication on the part of every student to reach their educational goals, and also a measure of perseverance from those close to them as well.

I am therefore highly encouraged by what I saw that day at our National Auditorium, as so many friends and family gathered around each new graduate to congratulate them on their accomplishments, almost smothering them with flowers and layers of ei and creating an atmosphere of general festivity like only we Cook Islanders can.

It was also immensely gratifying just to see the sheer number of people walking across the stage to accept their new qualifications, participants in one of the biggest tertiary graduation ceremonies we have ever held here in the Cook Islands.

And while every student is worthy of being singled out for their success, there are several especially exciting first-time achievements from that day that I would like to draw your attention to in particular.

This year we had our first graduating class receiving recognition in the area of Pacific Vernacular Languages, in Cook Islands Maori. This is the first-time qualifications in reo Kuki Airani have been offered anywhere in the world.

The honour of being the first to set up and deliver such a programme is largely due to the hard work of Dr Marjorie Crocombe, Trish Thomson, Joan Gragg and Vae Papatua, alongside Dr Ake Nicholas, Dr Fiona Willans, Mary Salisbury and Rod Dixon, and they have in fact now led the way for other Pacific nations, notably Niue and Tonga, to follow the same pathway to reinvigorating their own Pacific languages.

We also had our first Doctor of Philosophy graduating with a PhD in Geography this year – a major achievement for both this exceptional individual and for our country.

Importantly for our people in the Pa Enua, we also acknowledge our very first graduate to successfully complete a business studies qualification solely from their home on Palmerston. This accomplishment speaks not only to the tenacity of the graduate, but also to the endless possibilities available to all Cook Islanders on any one of our islands.

Finally, I would also like to recognise our first cohort of graduates from the Cook Islands’ newest registered tertiary education provider, the Centre of Excellence in Information Technology, which was opened in 2019 through a partnership between our government and the government of India.

Having been directly involved in the signing of the MoU (memorandum of understanding) with India that established this in-country centre for advanced computer training, I am delighted to see this partnership take flight in the success of our graduates.

As I said on the day, congratulations to our entire graduating class of 2021. As a USP alumnus myself, I know first-hand the relief, joy and pride you will have experienced and the many hours you have dedicated and sacrifices you have made to get to where you are now.

Now more than ever, our government remains fully committed to lifelong learning at all levels, through continued investment in programmes and support packages that meet our students’ needs.

I remain extremely proud to be leading a government that chose to bolster livelihoods during these challenging times and provide a ‘Fees Free’ initiative as part of our collective road to recovery, an initiative now extended for the 2022 academic calendar.

And as we look to the future, both immediate and long-term, it is also imperative that we consider our young school leavers, many of whom are now in the process of entering the workforce for the first time, with around one in five intending to continue their studies at a tertiary level.

I know that a significant proportion of these young people will be looking towards New Zealand and Australia as they set out on their new career paths, and that is an ongoing challenge we must continue to face.

While I am hopeful that the continuing ‘Fees Free’ scheme will encourage more of our school leavers to ‘stay home and go far’ with USP – and if the past academic year is anything to go by, that has indeed been the case – I also understand that we cannot stop there.

It is sometimes said that you have to be a prosperous country to be able to provide free education for all. I think that saying should be turned around to say that if you provide a free education, you create a prosperous country. The young are our future – and education is the key to unlocking their potential and future prosperity, both for them and for the Cook Islands as a whole.

Kia Manuia.