Lau Susuga i le Ta’ita’i o le Sauniga, Rev. Tupu Selu,

Lau Afioga i le Ao o le Iunivesite, Tuimaleali’ifano Va'aletoa Suālauvī II.

O le Ao Mamalu o le Mālō o Samoa,

Minisitā o le Kapeneta,

Sui Mamalu o le Palemene,

Ta’ita’ifono ma le Fono Fa’atonu o le Iunivesite Aoao o Samoa,

Sui o Mālō mai Fafo,

Fa’auluuluga o Matāgaluega ma Fa’alapotopotoga Tumā’oti a le Mālō,

Pule Sili o le Iunivesite ma le ma’ave ‘ese’ese o le Iunivesete Aoao o Samoa, Samoa ua potopoto,

Ali’i ma Tama’ita’i,

O le a fatimagalo ia le ava nai Taga, i le pa’ia o Samoa ua potopoto. I le afifio o Tama ma ‘Āiga, ‘Āiga ma Tama, le usoga a Pule ma Tumua, Ituau ma Ālataua, ‘Āiga i le Tai ma le Va’a o Fonotī. Ae a le tapua’i maimoa mai a le Faleagafulu, iā Sua ma le Vaifanua, Fofō ma Āitulagi, Ituau ma Ālataua, Sa’ole ma Saleaumua ma le Launiu na saelua, Fa’atui o le Motu, To’oto’o o le Faleula ma Tama a le Manu’atele. O pa’ia na o le tatou taeao ma le aso, o lea ua malu maunu ai le fogātia ma paū ai le Papaigalagala nei.

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O le mea lea ou te se’e lili’a ai ma ou fa’apoipoi lā’au tu vanu auā e faigatā le pa’ia ua aofia. Ae magalo ia se tautalaga ona ua ao Samoa i le talalelei.

E le’o toe po malaē o le tausaga lenei ua atoa i ai le 40 Tausaga o le tatouIunivesite Aoao o Samoa. Patipati mai mo lenei matāti’a ua ausia e le tatou Iunivesite.

Ua manino fo’i au o fala i le tala fa’asolopito o le tatou Iunivesite Aoao o Samoa mai le 1984 se’ia o’o mai i le 2024, i le paketi $5 se’ia o’o mai i le paketi $30Miliona. I le na’o le polokalame o le Tausaga Fa’avae, se’ia o’o mai le 100 ma ona tupu polokalame fa’alea’oa’oga ua i ai nei. I le na’o le 45 tama ma teine ā’oga se’ia o’o mai i le 3,000 ma ona tupu i le taimi nei, ae e lē sili atu i le 20 le aufaigaluega a le Iunivesite a’o lenei ua silia ma le 300.

A toe manatu i le afuaga o lenei atina’e mai le 1984, e le’i faigofie. I

fa’amaumauga a le tatou Iunivesite, o le aofa’i o i latou ua fa’au’u ma maua fa’ailoga mai le tatou Iunivesite Aoao o Samoa mai le 1984 se’ia o’o mai i le fa’au’uga iā Tesema 2023, e 25,647.

Fa’amata e to’atele fa’apea pe ana leai se tatou Iunivesite Aoao o Samoa?

O le ‘upu moni, e lē o’o i se numera fa’apea auā e utiuti avanoa e ō ai fanau an Samoa e a’o’oga i Iunivesite i fafo. O le mea lea, e ao ai ona tatou mitamita i le tatou Iunivesite Aoao o Samoa.

O lea ua ofi i fa’alāgāmaea a Iunivesite aloā’ia o le Pasefika. Ua amana’ia ana polokalame, o ana Faiā’oga ma le Pulega ae le gata i lea ua amana’ia tama ma teine sa a’otauina i totonu o le Iunivesite Aoao o Samoa, ma faigofie ai ona ulufale atu i Polokalame Tikerī i Niu Sila, Ausetalia, Amerika ma Europa.

E ao ona fa’amanatu i alo ma fanau aemaise mātua. E lē taugofie a’oa’oga Fa’a–Iunivesite i nei aso. Ua lē ‘asa lava se tausaga ma se fa’aseā a mātua i le taugatā o piliā’oga a le Iunivesite.

Ae mo le silafia ua savalia ma le 10 tausaga e le’i si’itia lava piliā’oga a le tatou Iunivesite ma o le tau o le pili o le Kuata e tasi i le tatou Iunivesite, o le tau lenā o le pepa e tasi i le Iunivesite o le Pasefika (U.S.P.).

Fai mai o le aso ma le filiga, o le aso fo’i ma le mata’igātila. E tele fo’i aso ae e lē lauaso, peita’i o le aso lenei o le aso o le seleselega. Fai mai o fua lava na e lūlū, e te toe seleseleina. O au galuega fo’i sa fa’atino, lea ua fua mai i le asō.

O aso fa’apenei e fa’a’osofia ai lagona o le fa’afetai ma le fiafia. E va’aia ai le suāmalie o le maligiligi mālie ifo o loimata o le matua ua fa’amalieina lana tapuā’iga.

O lagona fa’agae’etia e taulāmua ai le fa’afetai i le Atua auā o Ia o le punāvai o le malamalama, o le poto, o le malosi ma le atamai. Fa’afetai ua tali fa’aaliali mai le Atua i le tautigā ma le taumafai a le fanau, i tatalo lē leoa a mātua aemaise le tapuā’iga a ‘āiga. O lagona o le fiafia ona ua tau lau o le fa’amoemoe, ua i’u manuia le taumafai. Ua fa’afiafiaina mātua auā o lea o le a sauni e su’e se galuega e fesoasoani i le tausiga o ‘āiga aemaise le fa’atinoga o le tautua i le nu’u, le Ekalesia, ma le atunu’u.

O aso fo’i fa’apenei e va’aia ai loimata o le fa’anoanoa ina ua tagi ūū le fatu ona o fa’amoemoega ua lē tau lau. O lagona o le lē fiafia, ma le māasiasi. Peita’i e toe oso fo’i le la. Ia āoga mea e tutupu e toe fuata’ina ai le mafaufau ma toe fa’atonu folau mo le aga’i i luma. Ia toe timata le ‘upega ma toe taumafai atili ina ia tau lau o le fa’amoemoe – ina ia uma lau ā’oga, maua lau fasi pepa e maua ai lau galuega pe si’i ai lou totogi.

Le vasega fa’au’u, Mālō le fai o le faiva. Ia saga’i ane ‘ai o le tai e fai ma le fa’amaoni lau tautua mo lou ‘āiga, nu’u, Ekalesia ma si o tatou atunu’u. Ia o le a lē fa’amata fauloaina se fa’amatalaga.

Ona fa’ai’u atu lea o se fa’amatalaga i le Fa’ailoga Tauāloa a le tatou Iunivesite.

I lau Afioga i le Fa’aAo, Sui o le Fono Fa’atonu, le Tama’ita’i Pule ma le Aufaigaluega a le tatou Iunivesite Aoao.

O ai ea le tagata ua tou manatu mai ai? Ui o lea, Fa’afetai tele mo la outou fa’aaloalo. O la outou pule lea.

O a’u ‘upu fa’ai’u, fai mai se tasi o Tusitala Amerika o Sydney J Harris:

“O le āoga tāua o le ola a’oa’oina, o le suia lea o fā’ata i fa’amalama”.

Amuia Samoa o lea e i ai lana Iunivesite Aoao e a’otauina ai ana tamafanau, ina ia fa’aa’upegaina i tomai ma agava’a fa’aneionapo, ina ia ‘aua ne’i pumo’omo’o le va’ai na’o ia, (e pei o se va’aiga i se fā’ata), ae ia mamao ma taula’i le va’ai i isi (e pei o se va’aiga mai se fa’amalama), ina ia manuia ‘āiga, nu’u, Ekalesia ma Samoa nei ma ē luā.

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Reverend Tupu Selu,

Your Highness the Chancellor of the National University of Samoa,

Ministers of Cabinet,

Members of Parliament,

Pro – Pro-Chancellor and Members of Council,

Members of the Diplomatic Corp,

Chief Executive Officers of Government Ministries, State Owned Enterprises & the Private Sector,

Vice Chancellor & Staff of the National University,

Graduands and Families,

Ladies & Gentlemen,

This year marks 40 years since the establishment of the National University of Samoa. Please join me in congratulating the university on reaching this milestone.

It is by now common knowledge that the National University of Samoa began in 1984 and has just turned 40 on 14 February this year.

From an original budget of 5 Tala to a 30 million Tala budget today.

From 1 Foundation programme to more than 100 academic programmes today. From 45 students to about 3000 plus students today. From less than 20 staff to more than 300 staff today.

According to the University, a total of 25,647 graduates have completed their studies at the National University of Samoa since 1984. If we think about it – If the National University of Samoa did not exist, that number would have been far less because the number of opportunities to go overseas and study at a university is limited.

Hence we should be proud and take pride in our National University. It has come a long way and it was not easy. Today, NUS is amongst the recognized regional universities or tertiary education providers in the Pacific. The NUS programmes were originally benchmarked to USPs and now it is aligned to regional standards including relevant ones from NZ and Australia. Some of our senior academic and management staff are recognized regionally. The same goes for our NUS graduates, the fact that most of them were able to pursue further studies overseas using their NUS qualifications, reflects on the quality of our qualifications and the recognition of our students prior learning.

Now speaking of quality education. University education is not cheap. In fact each year we have parents complaining that the NUS tuition fees is too expensive. For parents’ information, the NUS fees have not been raised for more than 10 years.

And the cost of one semester at NUS is the cost of one course at the local regional university.

Graduations is a time of joy and happiness. A time to celebrate the successful culmination of one’s struggles during the length of one’s studies. It is judgement day for most because those who did well will graduate and their hard work paid off. A time for parents to reap the fruit of their prayers.

On the other hand, it is also a sad time for those who did not do well or did not study hard or put in 100 percent effort in their studies. Those who will not be graduating will be disappointed. But do cheer up, the sun will rise again tomorrow.

For generations, people learn more from their mistakes therefore don’t dwell too long on mistakes, learn from them and move on. Character is built, not on how long you are down but on how fast you can bounce back up. Take heart, do your best and try again until you succeed.

To the graduating class: Congratulations on your success.

May you contribute productively with integrity to the service of your family, village, church, and our country.

Before I conclude – I want to acknowledge with gratitude the Pro-Chancellor, the Council, the Vice Chancellor, Management, and Staff of the National University of Samoa for the honor of conferring upon me today, the University’s Honorary Doctor of Laws. Thank you for your generous consideration, I am deeply humbled by this honor.

To conclude, I wish to share with you a quote by the American journalist and author, Sydney J. Harris.

He said: “The purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows”

Samoa is very fortunate to have its own National University, which will continue to educate our young, to equip them with the relevant skills, values, and knowledge to succeed in life, not to look good in mirrors or look out just for themselves, but to look out through windows or look out for others, to have a long clear view to prosper extended families, villages, churches and Samoa, today and for years to come.

Soifua.

Photos by National University of Samoa