No
internet but Mangaia School is still part of Small Islands Voice
by
Tara Carr
Mangaia
College has become the first school without internet access
to participate in the UNESCO Small Islands Voice Youth Internet
Forum.
Principal
Sue Ngatokorua says it was a real challenge and with the assistance
of Small Islands Voice (SIV) national coordinator, REAP's Bruce
Gray, it has become possible. "Our students are gaining a lot
from the Small Islands Voice project and it is a tremendous
educational opportunity for them," says Ngatokorua.
Mangaia
students prepared their article on island heritage: pride in
the uniqueness of our island home, and then faxed it to REAP
here on Rarotonga. The article was then posted on the internet
website. The college's fax machine was supplied by the SIV project
and UNESCO is supportive of the initiative because it shows
that where there is a will, there is a way. Gray says they are
grateful for UNESCO's support for the pilot projects in the
Cook Islands, and they could serve as a model for other small
islands around the world. He adds that there have already been
a dozen or more responses to the Mangaia College article.
"Students
in Mangaia will be replying ... REAP will download and fax the
responses to Mangaia College where students will draft their
answers and fax them back to REAP for posting on the internet,"
says Gray.
The
public is invited to view Mangaia College's article on 'Island
Heritage: Pride in uniqueness of our island home' on the website
at: www.sivyouth.org
(username: view and password: only).
Gray
says that Brian Chitty of Bounty Books has also been very helpful
with this project.
Cook
Islands News, April 23 2003
