The University of the South Pacific organised a student disaster corps for immediate deployment during emergencies and natural disasters, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Frank Brosnahan announced on January 11, 1977.
According to an article published in The Fiji Times the following day, Professor Brosnahan made the announcement while addressing education heads from around the region at the opening of an advisory seminar organised by the university’s Institute of Education.
He said the role of the university was evolving beyond traditional teaching functions and expanding as a regional resource base for development.
In addition to teaching, the university was also undertaking research and consultancy projects at the request of governments and organisations.
Professor Brosnahan said it was important for students to contribute directly to regional development and avoid perceptions of elitism.
“A large proportion of students are on scholarships which have a higher value than the average per capita income of some countries in the region,” he said.
He said the university was exploring ways for students to apply their skills and knowledge when returning to isolated villages and islands, including sharing information on low-level technology.
Professor Brosnahan said there was a possibility of securing German funding to establish a rural centre aimed at displaying and developing simple technologies for farmers and villagers.
The proposed technologies included solar cookers, biogas systems, and improvements to farming tools.
He said community work already involved students who had completed holiday assignments such as roadbuilding and school repairs.
The students formed a labour pool of between 600 and 700 people, and the university was working to organise them into a disaster response corps.
Commenting on the university’s consultancy work, Professor Brosnahan said regional expertise should be utilised instead of relying on overseas consultants.
“The university remains and can have continuing responsibility for a project, make alterations if necessary and has a wider perspective of the region and more resources on which to draw.”
Heads of education from Fiji, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Vanuatu, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Samoa attended the seminar to discuss the role of the newly established Institute of Education and make recommendations for its work in the region.
