Tonga Joins

Aid Scheme

From Dorothy Lavin, in Nukualofa After negotiations between the United Kingdom and Tonga, Tonga has joined the many countries benefiting from the Overseas Service Aid Scheme

for expatriate public servants.

THE scheme applies only to ex patriates under contract to the Tonga Government and is retro spective to October, 1963.

In most cases, OSAS salaries rep resent a 25 per cent, increase over existing rates, as an inducement to officers to travel overseas and take up positions in places such as Tonga.

In addition expatriates’ children have the opportunity of education in their home countries. To make this possible, the OSAS pays the fares of the child to and from the country concerned and contributes an amount ranging from £225 a year towards fees at non-subsidised private board ing schools, and from £llB for State subsidised schools.

Provision is also made if private board for the child is preferred.

These allowances are increased for the second and third child in the family.

Although Tonga has achieved a high standard of education for Tongan children, it can be very difficult for a European child to work to and at tain the standard of education of his own country, particularly in secondary school education.

They find much to contend with— a different way of life, different climate, and different teaching methods.

As a result, many officers who

might ordinarily accept positions in the tropics do not do so because they feel their children would be denied the education they could happily cope with in their own country.

The Overseas Service Aid Scheme also opens up the field of choice for personnel, and incorporates the pay ment of part of the travelling ex penses for an officer taking up a position, and his family, as well as fares for overseas long service leave. is a financial aid in itself to any country taken into the scheme.

Tongan

Greeting

Crown Prince Tungi, Premier of Tonga, and Mr. W. D.

Forsyth, Secretary - General of the South Pacific Com mission, have both been doing a great deal of travelling lately but they came together long enough in Nukualofa recently to greet each other. Mr.

Forsyth later saw Queen Salote.