The Pacific Theological College, a leading regional theological institute for the Pacific Islands, is transforming its structure and education program, to be renamed as the Pasifika Communities University.
An ecumenical service was held at the Pacific Theological College (PTC) campus in Suva this morning to open a week of activities that will formally launch the new Pasifika Communities University (PCU). Drawing on indigenous knowledge and spirituality, the PCU aims to restructure theological education and development work through “whole of life” Pasifika philosophies.
On behalf of the new institution, PTC’s principal Reverend Professor Dr Upolu Luma Vaai signed partnership agreements with the Fiji Ministry of Education, Fiji Ministry of i-Taukei Affairs, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Tetra Tech.
“The MOUs highlight the importance of our communities-based learning approach that the Pasifika Communities University is adopting. We all agree with the concept that communities are our centres of learning – PCU will nestle higher education learning right within the communities’ space.”
Working in partnership with the government ministries and regional agencies, PTC has established 13 local learning centres in districts around Fiji. Transitioning into the new PCU, church leaders aim to further develop community learning, drawing on indigenous philosophy, spirituality, and local knowledge.
“Our elders in the village will be teaching our students as facilitators of learning”, Reverend Vaai said. “Our team will be out in the community in these learning centres to be with communities and learn with communities. We will bring our indigenous, faith-based values and spiritualities to bear on economic and political development policies. We have to ground them in our values as Pacific peoples.”
“This approach will see education not as a disruption of indigenous structure and collective living, but to avoid forcing young Fijians to move away from their village to seek higher education,” he explained. “This approach seeks to maintain and enhance education at home – an education that will explore in-depth spirituality and indigenous philosophies and theologies, promoting a ‘whole of life’ vision and community development.”
Commencing a week of activities, the opening church service saw prayers and reflections from members of the regional ecumenical movement, including Reverend Leonard Dawea, Archbishop of Anglican Church of Melanesia; Reverend Charissa Suli, President of the Uniting Church in Australia; Pastor Höcë Léonard Var Kaemo, President of the Église Protestante de Kanaky Nouvelle-Calédonie; Reverend Dr Jenny Te Pea of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa; and Bishop Jack Urame of PNG’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The service was held in the Islanders Missionaries Memorial Chapel at the PTC campus in Suva. The chapel was an early initiative of the regional ecumenical movement, first proposed in 1966 at the founding meeting of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) in Lifou, New Caledonia.
Reverend Dr Upolu Vaai highlighted the symbolism of starting the week in the memorial chapel, created to commemorate the evangelical work of Pacific island missionaries.
“It was decided that we’d build a chapel in the memory of the islander missionaries that have spread the gospel and died alongside our European missionaries,” he said. “Many of the history books have always acknowledged the white missionaries. Unfortunately that’s not the case with the islander missionaries, which is why we have built this chapel for those who lost their lives to spread the word of God.”
Activities will continue throughout the week, with the first PCU Council meeting, a church service at the Centenary Church to mark PTC’s 60th anniversary, a concert at Suva’s Civic Centre and dialogue between ecumenical and community leaders.
To read more about PCU pick up a copy of the latest Islands Business magazine.
