Transcript
GREGOR COSTER: Well the primary focus of the programme is to develop the capability of the faculty of health at NUS to offer post-graduate courses for nurses midwives and potentially other health professionals with the intention of contributing to the health system in Samoa through research and health practise development. It is a programme developed to take place over six years, and we will train six Phds, ten Masters and deliver forty courses all in country, fees paid and taught jointly between the faculty of health staff here, and staff over in Samoa.
SARA VUI-TALITU: So is it a mix of online and in person teaching? Or how does it work?
GC: Yes it's a mix. We will have our staff go up from here to NUS and mentor and teach. But there will also be online supervision, as well as supervision directly in country. So really it is a way of delivering post-graduate education for particularly the academic staff at NUS and School of Nursing so they can stay in country. They don't have the cost to come down to New Zealand and I think that way they can continue to teach, continue to learn and gain a qualification at the same time.
SV: Has it taken some time to organise?
GC: Yes it has actually. We started this in 2015 as a result of conversations between the School of Nursing staff at NUS and the grad school of nursing and midwifery and health staff at Victoria. So it has taken some time to get across the line. But we are very pleased MFAT in New Zealand has contributed on behalf of the government $NZ 1.75 million to this programme over a period of five years. This isn't a government to government relationship, but I think it is a demonstration of the New Zealand government and the University of Victoria's commitment to the Pacific.
SV: What was the reaction to the launch by locals?
GC: Oh I think huge excitement. We were very very pleased to have the Prime Minister of Samoa do the launch, and he and I both spoke, and it was a wonderful occasion. I do want to acknowledge Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban, made a dame over the weekend, and as you know she is the Assistant Vice Chancellor Pasifika at the university, and she's made huge contribution in getting this going. It is her connections in the Pacific really that has really allowed us to successfully get this agreement in place.
SV: And so what does this mean for the future nursing staff in Samoa?
GC: What's good about this and what is important about this is that it develops academic nursing staff in Samoa and gets them Phd's or Masters degrees allowing them to run such programmes themselves up in Samoa. The degrees they will get will be Victoria of University of Wellington Phd or Masters. But then they can start delivering their own Phd or Masters programme in country. It is a development opportunity that then means any young student going into nursing or midwifery or leadership in Samoa can see pathways forward for research and for education. There is one other thing that is valuable about this programme is that when we were talking to the Ministry of Health and indeed the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education in Samoa, they made the point that they really need specialty nursing staff, people who can work in cardiology or neurology or mental health or infectious diseases or non-communicable diseases and the Masters program will offer courses that will help to develop specialist skills for nurses in Samoa that they can take practise roles in the Samoan health system.
