Tongas First Agricultural College
p. 47 · Read in the full issue
Opens On Fertile Eua
From BETTY SANFT, in Nukualofa
“This venture should logically have come first rather than last m the educational programme of an agricultural country,” observed Tonga s King Taufa’ahau when he opened the new Flango Agricul tural College recently.
This first Agricultural Training College in Tonga is situated on 420 acres of land on the fertile, volcanic island of Eua, 25 miles from Nukualofa. The principal timber and cattle producing area in Tonga, there being no shortage of water, Eua supplies the mainland with a wide variety of vegetables.
The project is part of the educa tion programme of the Free Wesleyan Church and already the first stages have cost more than $60,000, made available by the American Founda tion for the People of the South Pacific.
General and practical
Entrants must have higher leaving certificate to enter the three-year course, after which certificates will be awarded to the successful can didates. Beside a general education, a wide practical course in all phases of agriculture, including farm manage ment, animal and poultry husbandry, forestry, farm mechanics and car pentry will be covered.
The initial intake of students has been 20, to be repeated in the second and third years when the full capacity of 60 will be reached. They will be housed in three hostels.
Already classrooms, an adminis trative block, two tutors’ residences and one hostel have been completed, while work is proceeding on the kitchen, dining hall, workshops and machine shed.
Acting Principal Mr. Peter Brisbane will be replaced next year by the Principal, the Rev. Robin Nance; present staff, K. Haloti Faupula, senior tutor, and Timote Pelesikoti. carpentry tutor, will be joined next year by Kotoni Fihaki.
See "Don't lose touch with the land", next page, and "Tonga will stay abun dant", p. 67. • Forestry Department officials in Fiji are checking all cases contain ing Fiji bananas for export following the discovery of powder post beetles in some cases shipped to NZ. Farmers have been urged to ensure that every piece of timber used for cases is free of the beetles, and has warned that any infected cases will be rejected.
Crowds mill around Mango Agricultural College on Eua at its opening day.