Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships Application Form

PERSONAL DETAILS

First/Given Names Stacy

Family Name / Surname Taholo
Email address luanistacy@gmail.com
Date of birth 13/01/1965

PROPOSED STUDY PROGRAMME

Study Programme: First Choice

Level of Study
Bachelor

Education Institution
University South Pacific (Laucala)

Qualification
Bachelor of Education

Major(s) or Subject(s)
Curriculum and assessment

Which Sector is the proposed study most related to?

Education

Study Programme: Second Choice

Level of Study
Post Graduate Diploma

Education Institution
Fiji National University

Qualification
Postgraduate Diploma in Education

Major(s) or Subject(s)
Education leadership: Teacher Education and Teacher Training

Which Sector is the proposed study most related to?

Education
STUDY HISTORY

What qualification are you currently studying?

None

What is the highest qualification that you have been awarded? E.g. South Pacific
Secondary School Year 13 Certificate/ Bachelor of Arts/ Master of Public Policy?
Undergraduate Diploma

Details of any awards or prizes related to your academic study or career,

and/or details of any work published in an academic publication

Qualification: EH-369029

Name of qualification
Diploma in Tourism Management Level 5

Major(s) or Subject(s)
Tourism and Hospitality

Education Institution
Tonga Institution of Higher Education

Location of Education Institution

Tonga

Start Date End Date / Expected End date

February 2017 December 2017

Was this study was funded through a scholarship?

Scholarship name

Scholarship provider

Qualification: EH-369210

Name of qualification
Certificate in Tourism Level 4

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 Major(s) or Subject(s)
Fashion and Design

Education Institution
Ahopanilolo Technical Institute

Location of Education Institution

Tonga

Start Date End Date / Expected End date

February 2014 November 2015

Was this study was funded through a scholarship?

Scholarship name

Scholarship provider

WORK HISTORY

Employment Position: EW-247327

Position title
Teacher

Paid or Voluntary Full Time or part time

Paid Employment Full time

Name of organisation
'Ahopanilolo Technical Institute

Start Date End Date Or

Feb 2020 Feb 2024 Current
Employment

Description of the work of this organisation

‘Ahopanilolo Technical Institute is a Vocational Training School that offers vocational
courses for tertiary students who intend to make a living in the program they enrolled in,
whether it is becoming business owners or seeking international work opportunities
through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme. It specializes in providing
Certificate level programs to students from low-income backgrounds, who desire further
education. ATI offers accredited courses in commercial cookery, hospitality, fashion
design, and hairdressing. ATI also excels as one of the leading Technical Schools in
Tonga with the belief that all of every race, condition, and age should have the right to be
trained. With this belief, the school cares for anyone who is willing to be educated as it
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 strives to provide knowledge and skills to those in need which travel with them for life.

Description of your duties/responsibilities

My main responsibilities is teaching Senior students Communication Skills to improve
English speaking and enhance communication in the workplace. The communications
course strengthens language and employability skills.
I will be returning to this position

What do you intend to do on your return to your home country?

What job do you intend to pursue on your return to your home country?

Name of prospective organisation/area of work

DEVELOPMENT RELEVANCE

What skills and knowledge do you hope to gain from your proposed study
programme?
My proposed program is a bachelor’s in education. I am hoping to develop core
educational skills such as assessment; to be precise, I want accurate skills and
knowledge in setting exam paper questions and other exam items. Informal assessment
is also a crucial education practice, and I am interested in developing relevant informal
practices suitable for the classroom.
Marking or assessing assessments to measure the level of student achievement is a
necessary skill. I am hoping to gain more insights into the methods and criteria for
measuring students' work.
Teaching strategies to address different levels of learning ability is a core skill that I am
hoping to develop. This skill can equip teachers with suitable learning strategies that can
be applied in the classroom to help students, whether top, average, or bottom learning
ability, achieve their academic goals.
Why is this area of knowledge and skills important to your country’s
development?
Tonga’s development depends on investing in the education sector, as claimed in the
Tonga Strategic Development Framework. To elaborate, standard skills and knowledge
should be invested in students so they themselves contribute to Tonga’s development.
The desired skills and knowledge mentioned in the previous reply are quality skills and
knowledge required by a teacher to carry out quality instruction in classrooms.
The mentioned skills also contribute to the goal set in the Tonga Development Strategic
Framework for vocational education and training. According to TDSF, the core of TVET is
to skill Tongans for social and economic development. This goal is possible if the right
technique is applied. In other words, teaching strategies gained from the proposed study
will be effective in promoting the goal set by TDSF.
How will you use your new knowledge and skills to contribute to the
development of your home country?
These skills will be more than helpful in my current role as a TVET Communication

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 teacher at ‘Ahopanilolo Institute. As a communication teacher with no teaching training. I
must rely on colleagues and online resources for teaching materials and knowledge. It is
a challenge to develop assessments for students and offer teaching strategies that
address the learning needs of students enrolled in the TVET programs. These students
did not perform well academically and are interested in developing core vocational skills
to make a living. It does not help when I, as a teacher, have limited teaching approaches
to assist them in finding the pathway to successful living. The knowledge and skills
acquired will be adequate in my TVET classroom. The same skills and knowledge will be
used in community workshops conducted to develop women's skills in crafting, cooking,
and sewing, to name a few. My skills and knowledge in sewing will be offered in these
workshops for women and empowerment, it will go hand in hand with my assessment
skills in measuring the level of women’s learnt skills.

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

Describe a situation that demonstrates your ability to develop new

relationships that have been important for your work or study.

Describe the situation

Last year when I started teaching communication to our senior students. I witness how
students decline to participate in class and assignments, showing little effort towards their
studies which hinders their academic performance. This cause distractions and making it
difficult for both the me and other students to focus on instruction, and sometimes
discouraging. These student are mostly high school drop outs or dealing with conflicts at
home. .
What actions did you take to develop the relationship?
I pay attention to these students and ask how they feel emotionally, psychologically or
health-wise, which may be the reason for behaviour. I just listen to them and not judge. I
often seek advice from school counsellor concerning students behavior arrange a
meeting with students parent to recognize the reason for conflict. I believe, that focusing
more on disruptive behaved students could improve their actions in different ways. By
finding all of the aspects which have effects on a student mind.
What was the outcome?
Addition for the outcome, method I use was slow but student started to open up to me
and also wiling to listen to what I say. Students successfully complete their program of
studies with shaped behaviour. I learn how important to understand that we all have
different personalities, behaviours and emotions. Sure we all can go through similar
things, but with our uniqueness, everybody goes through different things as well.

SELF DRIVE

Describe a situation when you had to motivate yourself to achieve, without

any prompting from family, friends, or others

Describe the situation

My teaching field is fashion and design, teaching Year 1 students. The administration
reshuffled the teaching staff in 2023, and I was placed in the Communication Department.
I was assigned as the new communication teacher for year 2. When I questioned this
decision, I was told by the Administration that it was due to staff shortage and my English
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 skills makes me skilled enough to teach communicationI. I was not confident enough with
my level of communication skills to teach students.
What actions did you take to motivate yourself?
But still willing to be a team player for the institution. The challenge was an opportunity to
practice adaptability in the workplace. The first step taken was working together with the
department members to align the curriculum with what we see fit as relevant to TVET
students' communication learning in the workplace. I reflected on my teaching experience
so far and identified the strengths and weaknesses for professional improvement. I
employ various resources to collect critical feedback on my teaching strategies, such as
self assessment, peer observation, and student surveys. The data collected, claims that I
need to have different teaching approaches and strategies practiced in the classroom.
What was the outcome?
I work together with our department staff to improve my teaching strategies and adapt
well to teaching Communication. I received satisfying feedback from my mentor Hannah
Stoios a English language mentor from Australian Volunteers Program. She applaud my
dedication to delivering effective lessons to my students, the principle and my team also
agreed with her. Regardless of the circumstances, It have made me more flexible,
positive and work towards the best solutions.

STUDYING OVERSEAS

Tell us why you selected New Zealand as a place to study? (Or for Study in
the Pacific applicants: Tell us why you selected a Pacific Island university
as a place to study?)
I am interested in the approaches and knowledge offered by a Pacific institution.

If successful, what specific things will you do to prepare yourself to move

to, and overcome the challenges of living and studying in, a different
country?
If I were to be successful, I would do some research on host country its culture and cost
of living and rent. I will also include finding a safe and secure accommodation for me and
my family. Find out about my schools location and transportation. Moreover, trying to
learn some important words from the country’s language will be useful.

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 DECLARATION

I, Stacy Taholo, confirm and declare

I have checked the requirements for a student visa. I expect to meet the student visa
requirements for Aotearoa New Zealand (or the Pacific Island country I will study in).

I have checked the academic entry requirements (including English language ability)
for my preferred programme of study. I expect to meet these academic entry
requirements.

I am committed to returning to my country for two years or more at the end of my

scholarship to contribute to the development of my country.

I am not aware of any medical, personal or other circumstances (e.g. illness, family or
financial matters), which might prevent me from completing my study within the
scholarship term.

I agree to the use, retention and sharing of information contained in this application,
and information relating to my scholarship, studies and alumnus status once my studies
are complete, in accordance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 and successor
legislation.

I agree to the exchange of information between MFAT, ENZ and all relevant
authorities, including:
1) the New Zealand Ministry of Education, the New Zealand Qualifications
Authority, and New Zealand Education Providers to enable placement in an
educational institution, collection of academic progress reports and results, and
ongoing administration, alumni management and monitoring of the scholarship;

2) Immigration New Zealand (regarding my immigration status);

3) New Zealand Inland Revenue (for taxation purposes);

4) Third parties authorised by MFAT and ENZ (including, where applicable,

partner governments) to assess my application for a scholarship.

I understand that in order to be eligible for a Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship, I will
need to demonstrate that I can currently meet or intend to meet Aotearoa New Zealand’s
border requirements, as well as the requirements of my study programme as set by the
relevant tertiary institution or provider.

I understand that the law of New Zealand will apply to any agreement between me and
the New Zealand Government.

I confirm that the information provided about and by me in the eligibility and application
forms is true, complete and correct to the best of my knowledge

I acknowledge that supplying false or misleading information is a serious offence

under the New Zealand Crimes Act 1961 and will result in the New Zealand Government
withdrawing a scholarship, if offered

Date declaration agreed and confirmed: 29/02/2024

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