Samoa
Academy Profile
National University of Samoa
Local Academy
Established November, 2001
http://www.nus.edu.ws
The National University of Samoa is owned by the people and the Government of Samoa and is fully funded by the Government. There are about 2000 students who take courses each year from the 5 faculties located in the University. These include the Faculty of Science, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Nursing, Faculty of Commerce, and Faculty of Education.
The Cisco Networking Academy at the University of Samoa was established in 2001 through a joint effort by ITU, UNDP, Cisco Systems and the University under the LDC initiative. Instructor training was initiated in November 2001, and by February 2002, the classes started. The Academy is placed in the ICT Department of the University. While the CCNA certification program is not integrated with other university degrees, the Academy's main contact and Director of the ICT Department, Kapeni Matatia , hopes that it will be in the future. Classes are open to any student who has completed a secondary education.
The National University of Samoa prides itself on being the main provider of IT training in Samoa, and those in the ICT Department realize the importance of new courses in technology. Instructor Kapeni Matatia says, "Samoa is a small, poor country with little resources. Any form of education or technology is welcome." As the country gains more resources and improves its technological infrastructure, they will need more trained professionals to work in the IT sector.
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