Maritime Polytechnic to close after certificates rejected [1]
Sunday, August 21, 2011 - 19:03. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
From the House, by Pesi Fonua.
ABOUT 30 Tongan seamen have lost their jobs because Singaporean registered ships had rejected their seamanship certificates issued by the Tonga Maritime Polytechnical Institute, the Minister for Training, Employment, Youth and Sports, the Hon. Fe'ao Vakata told parliament on Tuesday, 16 August.
He did not reveal when the jobs were lost, but said that as a result the Ministry of Transport was going to close down the institute.
The Minister said he had been told in an email from the Director of the Ministry of Transport, "yesterday, that the Tongan Maritime Poly-technical Institute, will be closed down."
Hon. Vakata told the House that Tongan foreign currency earnings from Tongan seamen was considered to be quite substantial, and this group of 30 Tongan seamen when working was estimated to have brought into the country $TOP1.5 million annually in remittances.
The Minister said that a different group of Tongan seamen who worked for another shipping line was said to have brought in $3 million annually.
He was greatly concerned with the loss of employment and foreign earnings and pleaded with members of the House to do something to save the institute, and overseas employment for Tongan seamen.
Princess Ashika
The Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Samiu Vaipulu confirmed the bad news. He said that the reason for Tongan seamen losing their jobs was because the Maritime Poly-technical Institute did not have the quality of education required to offer such seaman certificates that they have been handing out. Countries where some of these ships were registered, such as Singapore, enforced a high level of seamanship and it was discovered that Tongan certificate holders were not up to it.
The Deputy Prime Minister elaborated that the behavior of the crew during the Princess Ashika disaster was a telling example of the Tongan seamanship qualification. He reminded them that the crew were the first to be on board the life boats, "because they did not know what they were doing."
He suggested for raising the standard of education at the institute to be tabled with the Standing Finance committee of the House, and with the Ministry of Education.
He said that a big investment is needed to buy equipment such as a simulator and drilling boats.
Finance
There was a suggestion that such issue should be for the Cabinet to deal, and it was not a matter for the Legislature to deal with.
The Deputy Prime Minister however reminded members that under the new system of government, the parliament is also the government, "the Cabinet and the Parliament work together."
'Akilisi, a member of the House's Standing Finance Committee told the House, that if money was the concern, then it should be given to Finance Committee.
The Speaker did not call for a vote on the motion of the Deputy Prime Minister, but there was no objection to the proposal for the matter to be dealt with by the Ministry of Education and the Finance Committee.