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PM’s son praises Finland’s “excellent”  education system as example to learn from

By
Philip Cass
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Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s son Siaosi has praised the Finnish education system as a model that other countries can learn from.

Siaosi Pohiva was head of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s  Assessment Unit of the Education Quality and Assessment Programme.

He was instrumental in supporting Tonga’s move away from standardised marking.

As Kaniva reported last year, he stood by his father in his move to change the assessment system in Tonga from standardisation to raw marks.

He said Fiji and Samoa in the Pacific had already changed from standardisation system and used a modern raw marks system.

Siaosi urged people to read a report from the World Economic Forum on the Finnish system.

“Thanks that the Lord has given us a good example we could learn from,” he said.

He said the most important point about the Finnish system was there were no standardised tests.

He also praised the country’s late starting age for school.

“Students should start going to school when they are seven years old. How excellent! “

Finland stands at the top of many international education ranking systems and had been widely praised. Students do not start classes until they are seven years old, have no homework, fewer classes and are encouraged to play, learn to treat each other as equals and are supported  by highly qualified teachers in small classes.

According to the World Economic Forum report, Finland has no standardized tests.

“Their only exception is something called the National Matriculation Exam, which is a voluntary test for students at the end of an upper-secondary school.

“All children throughout Finland are graded on an individualized basis and grading system set by their teacher. Tracking overall progress is done by the Ministry of Education, which samples groups across different ranges of schools.”

According to a  British report, Finland routinely tops rankings of global education systems and all students, regardless of ability, are taught in the same classes.

The gap between the weakest and the strongest pupils is the smallest in the world. Finnish schools have only one mandatory test at age 16.

The main points

  • Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s son Siasosi has praised the Finnish education system as a model that other countries can learn from.
  • Siaosi Pohiva was instrumental in supporting Tonga’s move away from standardised marking.
  • Siaosi urged people to read a report from the World Economic Forum on the Finnish system.

For more information 

10 reasons why Finland’s education system is the best in the world

The 11 best school systems in the world

Finnish education

Man dies in Auckland after becoming trapped by vehicle

By
Kalino Latu
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Police can now confirm a man trapped under a vehicle in Highland Park, Auckland has died.

Initial reports suggest the man was pushing a vehicle down a driveway about 12.15pm when he somehow became trapped underneath it.

His next-of-kin have been notified and the death will be referred to the Coroner.

Death toll rises to at least 136 after Lake Victoria ferry disaster

By
Kalino Latu
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People on the capsized hull of sunken ferry in Tanzania’s Victoria Lake – video

At least 136 bodies have been retrieved from Lake Victoria in east Africa after a ferry sank on Thursday, Tanzanian officials have said.

Scores more people are missing after MV Nyerere sinks on Thursday afternoon

People on the capsized hull of sunken ferry in Tanzania’s Victoria Lake – video

At least 136 bodies have been retrieved from Lake Victoria in east Africa after a ferry sank on Thursday, Tanzanian officials have said.

Scores more were reported missing as rescuers searched for survivors.

The MV Nyerere, with a capacity to hold 101 people, had been dangerously overloaded, the government’s chief secretary John Kijazi told reporters. He ordered an investigation and said those responsible will face charges.

Initial estimates suggested that the ferry was carrying as many as 300 people when it capsized between Ukerewe, Lake Victoria’s largest island, and the smaller island of Ukara. The precise number was unknown, however, because the ticket-seller had drowned and the machine recording sales had not been found.

At least 37 people were brought to safety on Thursday, some in “a very bad condition”, said John Mongella, the commissioner for the Mwanza region in northern Tanzania. It was unclear whether any new survivors have been found since rescue operations resumed on Friday morning. Dozens of security forces and volunteers wearing gloves and face masks spent the day hauling bodies into wooden boats.

Tanzanian ferries often carry hundreds of passengers and are overcrowded, and there are shifts in weight as passengers move to disembark. The Nyerere was crowded because it was a market day.

Domina Maua, who was among those at the dockside seeking information about survivors, said: “I have not heard from either my father or my younger brother who were on the ferry. They had gone to the market in Bugolora to buy a school uniform and other supplies for the new school term.”

Davita Ngenda, an elderly woman in Ukara, wept as she said. “My son is among the bodies recovered,. He had gone with his wife but she has not been found yet. My God, what did I do to deserve this?”

Sebastian John, a teacher, said such tragedies had become part of life for those who live near the lake. “Since my birth, people have gone to their deaths on this lake, but what are we to do? We did not choose to be born here, we have nowhere to go,” he said.

The ageing ferry, of which the hull and propellers were all that remained visible, was also carrying cargo, including sacks of maize, bananas and cement, when it capsized about 50 metres from Ukara dock. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but overloading is frequently to blame for such incidents.

President John Magufuli was “deeply saddened” by the disaster and urged Tanzanians to “stay calm during these difficult times”, according to a spokesman, Gerson Msigwa.

The country’s opposition, however, accused the government of negligence. “We have often raised concerns about the poor condition of this ferry, but the government turned a deaf ear. We have repeatedly denounced this negligence,” said John Mnyika, the deputy secretary general of Chadema, the main opposition party.

Mnyika said overloading was “another failure of the authorities” and criticised “inadequate relief efforts as well as delays” in the rescue operation.

With a surface area of 70,000 sq km (27,000 sq miles), the oval-shaped Lake Victoria is roughly the size of Ireland and is shared by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. Capsizes are not uncommon and the number of deaths is often high owing to a shortage of lifejackets and the fact that many people in the region cannot swim.

The deadliest such incident in recent decades was in May 1996, when about 800 people died after their ferry sank on the way to Mwanza in Tanzania.

Lake Victoria can be rough and boats are frequently poorly maintained, while ferry operators often fail to record the number of passengers on board.

About 20 people were killed in December 2016 when a boat overturned on the lake as it was carrying passengers to mainland Uganda for the Christmas holidays. In March 2012, only two survivors were found after a boat carrying about 60 people capsized on the lake in Uganda

Sister pays tribute to Tongan man who died in boating accident in 2003

By
Philip Cass
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Fifteen years after the death of two Tongan workers in New Zealand, the older sister of one of the men has written a tribute to her brother.

Sanualio Kiola and his cousin Savelio Lolesio died in 2003 when they went out on a boat in Whitianga Harbour with a workmate, Aisake Lavelua, to check a fishing net.

Police said Lavelua fell out of the boat and swam ashore.

The bodies of Kiola and Lolesio were found several days later. Their boat was found washed up on a sandbank.

Both men were married and had young children.

The two men were working for Auckland Stonemasons on the Whitianga Waterways Project, a NZ$100 million residential housing project along the canal.

Sēlina Kiola Mahe wrote on Facebook: “Yesterday all day I remember you! It has been 15 years now since you left but I always remember your birthday!

“I missed you so very much, especially yesterday dearest brother. Still hurt so much and I could not bring myself to write you this message.

“Still feel like it was yesterday that I first received your disappearance. I do not know when I will ever be able to let you go completely from my heart! I miss you so much my dearest brother.

“Knowing that God needed you as another angel around his throne and his reason for bringing you home to HIM, makes me find a little bit of solace in my heart.

“I am certain God and his angels celebrated your birthday in Heaven yesterday dearest brother but it hurts like hell!!!

“I miss you so much brother. Late happy birthday.”

The main points

  • Fifteen years after the death of two Tongan fishermen in New Zealand, the older sister of one of the men has written a tribute to her brother.
  • Sanualio Kiola and his cousin Savelio Lolesio disappeared in 2003 when they went out on a boat in Whitianga Harbour yesterday to check a fishing net.
  • Selino Kiola wrote on Facebook: “It has been 15 years now since you left, but I always remember your birthday! I missed you so very much.”

For more information

Bodies of Tongan fishermen found https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3503973

Supreme Court hands down multiple verdicts in “difficult and sad” sexual assault case

By
Kaniva Staff
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The Supreme Court has handed down guilty sentences to a mother and stepfather for sexually abusing the woman’s daughters.

The couple appeared before Hon. Justice Cato.

“Cases involving sexual offending on young people are taken very seriously by the Courts and are of the utmost importance,” Hon. Justice Cato said.

“They are often difficult and sad cases to  try.”

The two girls were 14 and 16 when the assaults occurred.

Their mother had divorced and in 2016 the man who became their stepfather moved in with her.

The sexual abuse began in early 2017.

The judge found that on several occasions, including an incident of rape, the girls’ mother had helped the man.

The man was found guilty of one count of rape, six counts of serious indecent assault, two charges of indecent exposure and five charges of domestic violence.

The woman was found guilty of one charge of aiding rape, four counts of aiding serious indecent assault, one count of domestic violence and one of common assault.

In his summing up, Judge Cato said he found the daughters to be reliable witnesses.

He said the court had heard “very serious allegations that not only involved serious sexual misconduct by the male accused but also involved unusually knowing assistance in some instances by their mother.”

“I had the opportunity of regarding them very closely when they were giving their evidence and I was impressed with their evidence, both giving testimony in very difficult circumstances. I did not detect that either were evasive in their answers.”

The judge said he rejected several aspects of their mother’s testimony.

“I do not accept the reliability of the testimony of either accused  as it  relates  to their innocence,” the judge said.

“Where their evidence conflicts with the complainants, I prefer and act upon the  evidence  of the complainants beyond any reasonable  doubt.”

Children sick after reports plane drops toxic at Carterton school

By
Kaniva Staff
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Wairarapa, NZ – Emergency services responded to a report that a number of children were feeling unwell at a school on High Street in Carterton at around 2.30pm.

Eight children are being sent to hospital after reports a plane “accidentally sprayed” two Carterton schools with pesticide.

All students at Carterton’s South End and Montessori schools – which share a campus – will be go through a decontamination process after a strong sulfur smell was detected on Friday afternoon.

About 30 children fell ill after breathing in the unknown substance, with around four or five students reportedly vomiting.

Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand and Ambulance attended.

Teachers have confirmed they noticed an unpleasant smell which quickly disappeared.

As part of those enquiries Police are going door to door in the area checking on residents’ welfare and trying to locate the source of the smell.

The school grounds are also being searched.

Responding to reports of a low-lying plane flying over the school when the children fell ill, Wairarapa Police senior sergeant Mike Sutton was unable to confirm whether there was a link, Fairfax media has reported.

Parry said there were “plenty of rumours going around” about the cause.

Police Officer suspended after entering a house unlawfully

By
Kalino Latu
-

An off-duty Police officer had been suspended after complaint he entered a house in Pelehake without permission.

The 35-year-old officer was arrested and charged with unlawfully being on enclosed premises, Police Commissioner Steve Caldwell said.

Police received a complaint from the owner of the house that a person had entered it without permission.

Mr Caldwell has suspended the officer from duty yesterday Thursday 20 September 2018.

The officer was remanded in custody for appearance at the Magistrate Court today.

Police investigation continues and further charges are expected to be laid.

Injured Mate Ma’a Tonga skipper to miss test against Australia

By
Kaniva Staff
-

BBC SPORT / PACNEWS

Hull FC’s Tonga international skipper Sika Manu will miss his country’s Test against Australia – and the Black and Whites’ last two Super League games – with a medial cruciate ligament injury.

Manu, 31, suffered the knee damage in Friday’s 38-12 defeat at St Helens.

“Sika is the latest member of our squad to be ruled out for the remainder of the season,” said coach Lee Radford.

“It’s gutting for us and for him too, because he’ll miss Tonga’s game against Australia next month.”

Hull will go into their final two games of the season against Catalans Dragons and Wigan without Marc Sneyd, Mark Minichiello and Joe Westerman, who have all undergone operations, joining Josh Bowden, Albert Kelly and Chris Green on the injury list.

“Injuries have cursed us,” said Radford. “Not just the amount of injuries, but also the severity of the injuries. But we’ve seen some really outstanding performances from some of our younger players in recent weeks. Jordan Lane, Masi Matongo and Cameron Scott have all had a dig.”

Tonga’s historic first Test against Mal Meninga’s Kangaroos takes place at the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand on 20 October.

Kaniva news has a republication arrangement with PACNEWS

Australia bid to beat China to PNG domestic internet cable

By
Kalino Latu
-

THE AUSTRALIAN / PACNEWS – Australia is in talks with Papua New Guinea to finance its domestic internet cable network, in a bid to shut out Chinese company Huawei from building the infrastructure amid warnings its involvement would pose an unacceptable cybersecurity risk.

The Australian has learned a taskforce from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is working on plans to finance the network from a new trilateral infrastructure fund with the US and Japan.

It is understood former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull discussed the proposed support with PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill at a July 11 bilateral meeting, before they attended the third State of Origin rugby league match in Brisbane.

Former foreign minister Julie Bishop then raised the project with US and Japanese counterparts Mike Pompeo and Taro Kono on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Singapore early last month.

Bishop proposed the network as the first investment of the new Australia-US-Japan infrastructure fund, established this year to counter growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific ­region through its Belt and Road Initiative.

The Australian understands that as a fallback, the federal government is looking at funding the PNG project through a concessional loan with a lower overall cost and better repayment ­arrange­ments than the Huawei proposal, which would be funded by China’s Eximbank.

The revelation follows The Australian’sreport Thursday that Turnbull and  O’Neill had set in motion plans for a joint naval base on Manus Island, edging out Chinese interest in the key port with a facility capable of hosting Australian and US warships.

The move to fund PNG’s domestic cable network follows ­Australia’s $136 million (US$98 million) investment in a 4000km international cable to PNG and the Solomon Islands, which was also set to be built by Huawei until Australia intervened. The 5457km PNG ­domestic network will provide under­sea cable connecting to 14 provincial centres.

It will connect to the ­Australia-PNG-­Solomons cable, which will link to the Australian fibre-optic network in Sydney.

In August, PNG Public Enterprise and State ­Investments Minister William Duma announced that Huawei had been selected to complete the domestic cable project, funded by a $274m (US$199 million) Eximbank loan. Australian sources suggested the contract had not been finalised, and the cost of the Huawei proposal was estimated to be 30 to 50 per cent too high.

Lowy Institute Pacific program director Jonathan Pryke said the reported cost of the Huawei bid “should certainly raise eyebrows”, given the international link cost less that half that amount.

“Considering the PNG government’s current budgetary challenges, they can’t afford to be ripped off,” he said.

Huawei was banned from participating in the rollout of Australia’s 5G mobile network under rules precluding the involvement of any company that could be subject to “extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law”.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute cyber security expert Tom Uren said Huawei’s involvement in PNG’s domestic cable project could open the door to eavesdropping on communications within PNG, and between Australia and its key regional ally.

“If this PNG domestic cable is connected directly to the inter­national cable to Australia, it could potentially provide covert access to communications between Australia and PNG,” Uren said.

“There is no hard proof that Huawei has done this, but Chinese laws essentially compel assistance if intelligence agencies require it. Coupled with China’s voracious appetite for cyber espionage, this definitely represents a risk.”

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australia was committed to working with PNG to achieve its development ambitions, and to support improvements in security and stability across the Pacific.

“We have a very close and longstanding relationship with PNG and we constantly discuss their priorities for economic growth and development,” Sen­ator Payne said.

In last year’s foreign white paper, the government committed to “stepping up” its engagement in the Pacific, in the face of growing Chinese interest in the region.

PNG has long viewed Australia as its principal security partner but has faced a wave of generosity from Beijing, which has flooded Pacific countries with cheap fin­ance for infrastructure projects.

O’Neill, who enjoys close relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping, agreed on a recent trip to Beijing to allow Mr Xi to host a summit for Pacific Island leaders ahead of the APEC leaders’ meeting. For  Xi, the PNG trip will be an official “guest of government” visit, with red-carpet treatment.

Scott Morrison  declined to comment on the prospect of Australia establishing a joint naval facility with PNG on Manus Island, but reiterated Australia’s close relationship with its Pacific neighbours.

Kaniva news has a republication arrangement with PACNEWS

Tonga meet to deal with PICTA agreement legal requirements

By
Kalino Latu
-

A government meeting will be held in Tonga to put things together for the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement known as PICTA, the Ministry of Labour and Commerce CEO Edgar Cocker said.

He is expected to meet with Ministry of Justice and the Crown Law Office to incorporate an edited version of a document sent from the Forum Secretariat regarding the agreement.

The meeting is set to discuss legal procedures before bills will be submitted to Cabinet and Parliament which Cocker has described as urgent (“as soon as possible.”)

A PICTA Implementation Committee which will include the Ministry of Customs and Revenue will be formed as part of the preparation process.

“I am expecting to do all of these required actions, and be completed by end of November 2018.” Cocker said.

As Kaniva news reported last week, Cocker was in Samoa to look at a government plan to build a Multipurpose Commercial Facility for accommodation, lodging, mini-conference, selling outlet for Tongan produce (handcrafts and watermelon)  and a small coffee shop on its land there and to discuss plans to export watermelons to the country.

“Tonga is ready to trade with Samoa under PICTA – and in particular with export of watermelon and other commodities to Samoa, and the US (Pagopago) and French Territories of New Caledonia, and French Polynesia,” he said.

“Once we are ready, comply, and agreed to all actions  required under PICTA framework, and with the mandate of our Implementation Committee, we will then work on submission of our Instrument of Acceptance to be accepted by all of the PICTA parties including Kiribati, through our official notification to the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS).” Cocker said.

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