More than 40 Ni-Vanuatu students have been scheduled to arrive in the country this weekend to start their nursing studies at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU).
The students were unable to board their flight last Sunday due to internal ticket issues in Port Vila.
SINU’s Senior Marketing and Promotion Officer, Estee Longamei told SIBC News that only eight students for Atoifi Nursing School and the Pacific Adventist University arrived on that flight.
He confirms they have re-booked flights for the remaining students upon request from Port Vila.
“We expected over 40 students intending to study at SINU to arrive on Sunday. Unfortunately, only those who will be studying at Atoifi and PAU managed to board the flight.”
But we have rescheduled their flights and their ticket invoices have been sent to Vanuatu by the Solomon Airlines, so they are now confirmed to arrive in the country this coming Sunday,” he explains.
Mr. Longamei also confirms that the students who arrived last week are currently accommodated at the universities dormitories while waiting for arrangements to travel to their respective institutions.
SINU Senior Marketing and Promotion Officer, Estee Longamei
The university had previously allocated 70 spaces for the Ni-Vanuatu students, but the Vanuatu government later confirmed that only 41 students will be sponsored to study at SINU.
Mr. Longamei said, five of them are self-sponsored with one of them already attending classes.
The university has also adjusted its schedules to cater for the late arrival of the students.
“One of the private sponsored students arrived weeks ago and is already attending classes. We are now at week 7 so the students who will be arriving late will have their own timetables. During the semester break, they will continue with classes so they can join other students for normal classes at the second semester.
It will be very tough for our lecturers, but we have to respect why they chose to study here. The number of students they sent here to study is large compared to other Pacific Island countries, and that shows the amount of trust that they have towards our nursing program at SINU,” said Mr. Longamei.
The intake of Ni-Vanuatu students to the university is through an arrangement between the Solomon Islands National University and the government of Vanuatu.
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