Eighteen students from Tupou College Toloa are pioneering the first Australian-accredited Form 7 exam in Tonga, called the Higher School Certificate (HSC).

The Higher School Certificate is used in New South Wales, Australia, and is the highest award in secondary education in the state.

The Australia in Tonga FB page reported that Tupou College is one of only two schools in the Pacific that offer this program. 

“Students who successfully complete the exams will get a certificate that is recognized in Australia –in all of our universities and if applying for jobs.”

The program was first introduced at Tupou College in 2018, trialled by a group of 25 Form 1 students, with help from Newington College in Sydney. It has taken seven years to grow the program through to the Form 7 examination.

A teacher from Tupou College, 'Asolua Fifita, who looks after the program, said that after every year since 2018, a new level was added.

'Asolua said that the program had helped students "stretch their abilities" academically. Students that take part in this program do not participate in the Tongan TSC exams.

The Australian Support Person for the program, Kathryn Pereira said that the first group of students are doing well and from now on the program would be available for students every year.

This is the third week of exams that will finish on 8 November.